The Taifa Stars Super Eagles showdown in Uyo now has a war of words to match it. Tanzania are not scared of Nigeria, Tanzania Football Federation director Almasi Kasongo has declared, insisting the visitors are in Uyo to fight for a result in Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Kasongo spoke after the Taifa Stars settled into Uyo, where they held their first training session on Tuesday evening at the practice pitch of the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium. The delegation had arrived in Abuja on Sunday but only reached Uyo on Tuesday morning, a delay that cut into their preparations for the Group L matchday three encounter.
Kasongo: “We are here to fight and get a result”
“We are not scared. Football is a game of 90 minutes. We know the quality of Nigeria’s players and their pedigree. We are well prepared and have players from the local scene and abroad who are equal to the task as well,” Kasongo said.
“We are here to fight and get a result. We recognise Nigeria’s quality, but we will go to the stadium to get a result,” he added.
The message is a deliberate one. Tanzania know exactly what they are walking into: a full house in Uyo, a Nigerian side desperate for points, and a head coach in Eric Chelle who cannot afford a slip. Kasongo’s answer is to refuse the underdog script entirely.
Taifa Stars Super Eagles: Tanzania’s slow start — and why Friday is a free hit
The Taifa Stars have made a slow start to Group L, losing 2-0 to Guinea-Bissau before drawing 1-1 with Madagascar in their opening two matches. They sit on one point, three behind the group leaders, while Nigeria have three after beating Madagascar 2-1 and losing 3-0 to Guinea-Bissau.
But Tanzania carry no qualification pressure into this double-header. As co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations alongside Kenya and Uganda, they are already guaranteed a place at the tournament and are using the qualifiers to prepare for it. That makes them dangerous: a side with nothing to lose, five days to settle in Uyo, and a point to prove.
Head coach Miguel Gamondi’s squad is split evenly between 12 home-based and 12 foreign-based players. Young Africans and Azam FC provide five players each, the highest representation of any club, while the foreign-based contingent includes Novatus Miroshi of Turkish club Goztepe, Cyprian Kachewele of Ukraine’s Kryvbas and Bernard Kamongo of FC Dallas in the United States.
Gamondi is without Clement Mzize and Dickson Job, both ruled out through injury and replaced in the squad by Azam winger Iddi Seleman Nado, who travelled with the delegation.
Why Nigeria cannot afford to blink
For Nigeria, the stakes could hardly be higher. Chelle named a 24-man squad without the injured Victor Osimhen, who is out for five weeks after knee surgery, and 17 players trained in Uyo on Tuesday evening as the countdown to Friday began. The Super Eagles must take maximum points at home to keep their qualification hopes firmly in their own hands.
Tanzania, by contrast, can play with freedom — and Kasongo’s words suggest they intend to. The first leg kicks off at 5pm WAT on Friday, 13 November, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, with the return fixture on Tuesday, 17 November, at the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — collage by SportsBuddy
