Emmanuel Amuneke Leads Tanzania To Their First AFCON Qualification In 39 Years

A few months ago, Emmanuel Amuneke was appointed head coach of the Tanzania national team. With the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers rounding off, the Nigerian football legend just helped the country secure a spot in the tournament — their first since 1980.

(Photo: Alexander Hassenstein – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

This feat makes him the second Nigerian coach in almost a decade to lead another African country to an AFCON tournament — the first being the late Stephen Keshi, who led Mali to the 2010 AFCON in Angola.

When the qualifiers started, Taifa Stars of Tanzania found themselves in Group L alongside Uganda, Lesotho and Cape Verde. They drew in two matches, lost two and won two – the last being their clash against Uganda in which they scored three goals to finish second in the group.

You will recall that when Amuneke got the appointment, he had no prior experience coaching a senior team. This had us wondering what he would make of the opportunity. Now, he has proved it to the world and, most especially, the people of Tanzania.

We look forward to seeing him lead the team all the way through the tournament in Egypt.