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AFCON

IF THIS IS A DREAM, PLEASE DON’T WAKE ME UP YET, SAYS HEROIC AMUNEKE

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Emmanuel Amuneke knew he was an instant hero as he guided Tanzania’s Taifa Stars to qualify for the continent’s premier sporting event after nearly 40 years.

“I am elated”, he said via whatsapp call from his base in the city of peace, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. He remarked that he was overwhelmed with the affections extended to him by both his compatriots and citizens of Tanzania where he works.

He commended the way the nationals of Tanzania stood behind him especially after the slip in matchday 5 where his team was expected to have picked the ticket.

“The people were fully behind me and strongly believed the country will qualify to play in Africa’s biggest soccer show piece this time around.”

The match was potentially a tough one as Uganda had before then, not conceded any goal in the series that began in 2017. But the Tanzania against all odds scored, not just once, but thrice.

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“Today is an emotional night for me and I’m delighted to have piloted this team to win this important match. It was an agonizing moments before the match knowing fully well that we must win to stay in the tournament. 

“Football is a uniting factor here. I can see happiness on the faces of everybody while the untiring support from the beginning to the end was a motivational factor for my players who never failed to take their legs off the gas.

“My wish for now is to go back and review the series with my team and to know where we are lacking and also hope we get a good draw when the ceremony holds soon in Cairo, Egypt,”

Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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