Tanzania Fires National Soccer Coach After Controversial Morocco Accusations

Adel Amrouche is no longer the coach of the Tanzanian team. He was fired on Friday by the Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) which did not appreciate the allegations of cheating that the Algerian technician had made against Morocco and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). "The FRMF is a proven power in the world of African football. Moreover, in the last match against Morocco, they forced us to play in the evening when we wanted to play in the early afternoon. Currently, it is Morocco that manages African football. They also choose their referees and we remain mere spectators," he had said to an Algerian channel, before the match between Morocco and Tanzania at the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN Côte d’Ivoire 2024), which ended in a large victory for the Atlas Lions (3-0).

These serious accusations provoked a reaction from the president of the Tanzanian Football Federation. Wallace Karia distanced himself from the Algerian technician. "We do not support the statement of our head coach Adel Amrouche after he accused Morocco of dominating African football and manipulating the referees who officiate in its matches. We absolutely do not support this statement, because we respect Morocco for its hard work in the development of football and will know what to do in the face of the reckless and provocative statement of the coach," he said.

Faced with the controversy, Adel Amrouche made new statements on Tuesday at the pre-match press conference for the Morocco-Tanzania match counting for the first day of the 2024 CAN Côte d’Ivoire. This time, he praised the merit of Morocco, a semi-finalist in the last World Cup. "The Moroccan team speaks for itself... I expressed myself a month ago, saying that it is one of the best national teams in the world," he said, stressing the impossibility of erasing the rich history of the Moroccan national team, its performances including its victory over Brazil. Too late. Shortly afterwards, the Confederation of African Football suspended the Algerian technician for eight matches and also fined him $10,000.

Tanzania continues the competition with assistant coach Hemed Suleiman. The Taifas Stars will face Zambia for their second outing in Group F on Sunday, January 21 and will then challenge the Democratic Republic of Congo three days later.