Three Serengeti Boys Scouted by European Clubs
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Tags: FIFA U-17 World Cup, Serengeti Boys, Tanzania Football Federation
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They may be out of the tournament, but the national Under-17 soccer team players won many a heart at the 2017 Africa Youth Cup of Nations in Libreville, Gabon for the artistic way they approached the game.
European club scouts are among those who were impressed by the Tanzanian boys during their Group B matches, according to the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF).
The TFF Media and Communications officer, Alfred Lucas, confirmed yesterday that top clubs in Europe were interested in signing a number of the national youth team players.
“Three players who are in Gabon with Serengeti Boys (national U-17 team) for the Africa Youth Championship, will undergo trials in Spain, Belgium and France next month,” he told The Citizen by phone from Libreville.
Lucas named the youngsters as defender Enrick Nkosi, Ally Msengi and Ally Ng’anzi, He fell short of naming the clubs.
He said the deals have been facilitated by Tanzanian Abdallah Kondo, who is an agent of Serengeti Boys striker Yohana Mkomola.
Mkomola is expected to leave for Tunisia early next month for trials with Etoile du Sahel, one of the leading clubs in the northern African country.
“Be patient. If all goes well, we’ll name the clubs wishing to recruit the players later this week,” he said when pressed for more details.
On Sunday, Serengeti Boys’ fairytale run at the Gabon 2017 came to an end after they went down 1-0 to Le Mena Cadets of Niger in their final Group B match at the Stade de Port Gentil, Libreville.
Striker Habibou Sofiane who headed home the first half winner for Niger was the hero of the night as Bakari Shime’s boys rued the thought of what could have been despite finishing four points with Nigeriens who went through based on the head-to-head rule. The result earned Niger their first qualification for he FIFA U-17 World Cup to be played in India later this year.
They joined Mali for the semi-final spot after the Les Aiglonnets thrashed the OS Palaquinhas of Angola 6-1 in the other Group B fixture at the Stade de l’Amitie in Libreville the same day.
Yet it was Serengeti Boys who actually started on the offensive, but there were no clear-cut chances on both ends until in the 37th minutes when Ibrahim Ali was surprisingly freed on goal but his effort was not enough to break Niger.
Few minutes after, Niger got a free kick and bulky midfielder Habibou Sofiane headed the ball home after he beat off the off-side trap much to the chagrin of the Tanzanian boys.
On resumption, Tanzania went close again in the 50th minute but Abdul Suleiman shot wide even with goalkeeper Moussa Hima at his mercy and they failed to press the advantage despite their dominance till the very end.
In the semi-final pairings, Niger will meet Ghana in Port Gentil while Mali will meet Guinea in the other semi-final in Libreville. Both matches are to be played on Wednesday.
