NATIONAL team Head Coach Etienne Ndayiragije sees high hopes in the U-16 team heading for Turkey for Mercedes Benz Aegan International Youth tournament.
Speaking to reporters prior to the team departure at the Julius Kambarage Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on Monday night, Ndayiragije said his hopes were banked by a presence of quality and high-skilled players in the squad that left for Turkey.
The international level youth tournament starts today and climaxes on January 21st this year.
“Tanzania is rich of talented youth, the Under-16 team is good and I have seen a lot of talented players there. If these talents are developed well, there is a chance of building a strong national team in future,” Ndayaragije said.
He added that he has made plans to work with young teams by training them in line with the senior team philosophy.
“We are looking forward to put force in implementing the senior team philosophy to young players. If this plan works we are going to build a very strong competitive national team,” he added.
The Mercedes Benz Aegan Tournament kicks off from today January 15th to 21st, 2020 whereas Tanzania is placed in Group A with Turkey, Ireland and Kosovo.
Group B comprises Ukraine, Albania, Macedonia and South Korea. Tanzania will kick start their campaign against Ireland before facing Ukraine and South Korea in the later fixture.
The Under-16 National Youth Team Head Coach Maalimu Salehe said he was confident with his players as they are well- drilled and ready to fight and lift the trophy.
Adding, he said his participation in the tournament is to test the quality of his team, and address the challenges that need addressing when competing in the global level competitions.
Investing in young talents is important for the growth of the senior teams as most superior clubs and national teams are built from young talents.
Last year, Etienne spoke with Azam Television and he identified that he request to have an additional time with the national team, so as to build a strong code that coordinate players and bring more wins and more possibility to qualify for world cup.
