Tanzania fire football coach ahead of Afcon

Tanzania's football federation has fired its national team coach Hemed Suleiman just a month before the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.

Hemed has been replaced by Argentinian Miguel Gamondi, who will take interim charge of the Taifa Stars for the competition that runs from 21 December to 18 January, the federation said in a statement.

"The Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) has terminated head coach Hemed Suleiman's contract by mutual consent," the statement said, without giving further details.

Hemed, who comes from the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, took over after his predecessor, Algerian Adel Amrouche, was sacked one game into the last Africa Cup of Nations finals in Ivory Coast in 2024.

Amrouche had accused Morocco of holding too much power in the competition and influencing referee appointments, earning himself an eight-match touchline ban.

Hemed led the Taifa Stars to qualify for their fourth Cup of Nations appearance, and reached the quarterfinals of the African Nations Championships this year.

But they failed to secure a spot in the 2026 Fifa World Cup, finishing third in qualifying in their group behind Morocco and Niger.

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