Taifa Stars captain and first choice goalkeeper Juma Kaseja

Taifa Stars captain and first choice goalkeeper Juma Kaseja thanked God upon safe arrival home yesterday from Abidjan, while assuring fans to remain calm ahead of Sunday’s second World Cup qualifier tie against Gambia at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

He admitted the team had a tough game against Cote d'Ivoire last Saturday and lost by 2-0 goals.

He said Tanzanians should not worry as they witnessed how the boys worked hard and hope to put matters together against Gambia this weekend.

He insisted the home fans should rally behind the team and forget about the past to drum up support that might be rewarded with a win.

He urged fans to stay united as coach Kim Poulsen is trying to build a formidable and strong team to excel in the qualifiers. So all they need is time and support from Tanzanians.

Of the four teams in the qualifier group, Tanzania is at the tail after day one appearance without a goal or point.

The Stars skipper was responding to an interview soon after the team landed at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

The national team coach Poulsen is looking forward to the challenge ahead against Gambia and is focused on how to get good results.

The coach said they were beaten by a formidable side whose football credentials is well documented

Poulsen said that he is proud of the boys as they showcased splendid performance against tough opponents.

“Against Ivory Coast we put up a good performance but did not get a good result. So against Gambia we will try to put a good performance and this time we hope to find a breakthrough,” he said.

Taifa Stars players and coach went into their Karume Memorial Stadium hostels to gear up for Sunday’s duel against Gambia.

Poulsen is aware of the danger posed by Gambia which drew with Morocco, one of the seasoned contenders when it cokes to both African Nations and World Cup championships.

“So there is no easy match at all as we will take each with the same gravity of preparations,” he said.

Poulsen admitted to miss centre back Agrey Morris who was dismissed with a second yellow card flash in Abidjan.

The coach declined to mention Morris’s replacement as he bragged of having a wide range of players to fill his gap on Sunday.

The deft in Abidjan was Poulsen’s first in competitive football since taking over from his namesake Jan last month.

The coach is still looking for his first victory while in charge of the team after a barren draw with visiting Malawi during a build up game ahead of boarding the flight to Abidjan.