Taifa Stars prepare for Mauritius
By The Express Reporter, Dar es Salaam
Taifa Stars have started camp training ahead of their next month’s Nations Cup qualifier against Mauritius in Port Louis.
The team, which forced a 1-1 draw with Ghana in a friendly last week,is in a perfect shape to route the Indian Ocean islanders.
But the chances of qualifying for the 2010 World cup in South Africaand nations Cup in Angola were extinguished following their losses to Cameroon and Cape Verde.
The team will therefore play for pride but the match will help them to fine-tune for their match against Sudan in November.
Tanzania will play Sudan for a ticket to Championship of African Nations (CHAN) finals in Ivory Coast. This tournament will be exclusively for home-based players.
To reach this round, Taifa Stars eliminated Kenya and Uganda.
Meanwhile, President Jakaya Kikwete praised the national team for a remarkable recovery. He said Tanzania was no longer a mad man’s head that could be shaved by any barber.
He challenged the TFF to start thinking about taking the soccer development to another level, since the government’s support would reach an end.
Tanzania posted impressive results against Cameroon, Senegal and Burkina Faso which ignited passion among the fans.
The team is made up of youthful players with average age of 23 years, key among them are Mrisho Ngasa, Athumani Iddi, Shadrack Nsajigwa and Henry Joseph.
By The Express Reporter, Dar es Salaam
After the country’s disastrous showing in the just-ended Olympic Games, it is hoped President Jakaya Kikwete’s promise to uplift the standard of athletics will bear fruits come London 2012 Olympic Games.
The President, who declared ‘the mission accomplished’ as far as soccer is concerned during his address to the Parliament last week, asked officials of the Athletics Tanzania (AT) to present their programme for support.
President Kikwete is credited for developing soccer in Tanzania as he is the one who hired coach Marcio Maximo to turn around the national team.
The President also hired youth coach Marcus Tinoco, who is helping with youth development programme.
The performance of the country’s runners in Beijing was greeted with fury with some MPs asking the Minister for Information, Culture and Sports George Mkuchika to explain.
He told the Parliament that what happened in China was not a shame but a challenge to the nation to prepare better for future regional and international meets.
“It is true that the Parliament should be told of plans for the London 2012 Olympic preparations and that is why President Jakaya Kikwete has agreed to scout for an athletics coach to bring in rapid development in athletics as is the case in soccer”, said Mkuchika.
He exhorted private individuals to support government efforts by investing in sports in order to attain rapid development in the sector, noting that the private sector has an important role to play in sports development.
Mkuchika, however, assured the August House that the government had not been idle in developing sports, saying that it had been lending a helping hand, citing the recruiting of a foreign coach for the Tanzania Football Federation as an example. He also said that the government was time and again taking different measures in supporting private sports academies to realizing their goals and objectives.
“The primary step in assisting the academies is to direct them to ensure that rules and regulations pertaining to their establishment are followed, and also prepare practical and theoretical training schedules for different competitions.”All this is done to prepare the youth who join the academies gain experience and different sports tactics before they plunge into competitions”, said the Minister. He called upon the legislators, private individuals and corporate partners to assist in giving the academies the much needed help for them to surge ahead in their quests.
BBA III starts with Tanzanian girl
For the first time Tanzania was represented by a girl named Latoya into the famous Big Brother House.
Latoya and 11 other new housemates began an incredible 91 day adventure as M-Net’s blockbuster hit reality TV series show returned to DStv screens continent-wide on Sunday.
With USD 100 000 up for grabs once again, the show is set to mirror the runaway success of the first two seasons.
Kabelo “KB” Ngakane returned as series presenter in a role he reprises from last season. The much-loved Channel O VJ and radio DJ, whose recently released single How Low Can You Go has seen him make the leap from TV personality to performer, will continue to be the primary link between the housemates and series fans.
In addition, M-Net has offered fans of the show a sneak peek at the all new Big Brother house, which underwent a total transformation in preparation for day one.
Comprising two bedrooms, one bathroom, a large lounge, an open plan dining area, a kitchen, diary room and a garden, complete with a striking new pool, it’s in the décor that the house marks it’s most dramatic differences. Colorful, bold and with a style that can only be described as an eclectic mix of energetic, youthful and fairytale, the BIG BROTHER AFRICA house is a character all on its own!
Living up to the new series tagline of Wild, Wicked and Wacky, the house includes unique features such as a “clock-themed bathroom” that are destined to capture fan attention and keep housemates entertained. In a house built for the express purposes of isolating housemates from the outside world, in a space where dates and times are excluded, it’s definitely worth tuning in to see what the housemates reactions will be to a bathroom jam-packed with clocks that don’t tell time!
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