TANZANIA national football team (Taifa Stars) head coach, Hemed ‘Morocco’ Suleiman, has expressed his ambition to win the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which Tanzania will co-host with Kenya and Uganda from February 1-28, this year.

This eighth edition marks a historic first for CAF, as it will be the first time the tournament is jointly hosted by three nations. 

Teams will compete for a substantial prize, with CAF having previously announced a 32% increase in the total prize money for the CHAN Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda 2024, bringing it to USD 10.4 million.

Coach Morocco (pictured) will be closely following the draw for the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2024, which will take place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 20:00 local time. 

The tournament will feature 18 qualified teams, including African football powerhouses such as reigning champions Senegal, who edged 2022 hosts Algeria in the final in Algiers three years ago to lift the title for the first time.

The coach explained that his strategy involves using the CHAN tournament as a valuable opportunity to prepare for the AFCON tournament later in December. 

However, he emphasized that winning the CHAN tournament is a key objective.

"First, we have already qualified for AFCON. For me, we need to forget that for a while as we make long-term calculations starting from here, and those calculations need to start in this upcoming CHAN tournament because AFCON is in December next year.

"The CHAN tournament will be held here in the country, and we will be the hosts. To be honest, we want to give Tanzanians a gift. My intention and that of my fellow coaches is to keep this trophy here in the country.

"A good advantage we have is that many of the players who were in the squad that was seeking a place to play in AFCON are players who play here at home. This is an advantage for us," he said.

Morocco referenced Tanzania's past CHAN record, which has consistently ended in group-stage elimination, stressing the need to change this narrative and reach the quarter-finals.

"Our participation in these CHAN finals has never been good; we have always been eliminated in the early stages. We want to change this perception and progress further. We need to work.

"If we get good preparations before CHAN, with sufficient time for a training camp and with the players we have at the moment, we can achieve something," he said.

He added: "We have already started initial preparations in strategic planning, and things are progressing. We are looking at what kind of players we will need. I believe we will do well."

The presence of numerous players from Simba SC and Young Africans in CAF interclub competitions has provided coach Morocco with a prime opportunity to scout talent for his CHAN squad. 

His scouting efforts included watching players compete in the Mapinduzi Cup, where Zanzibar reached the final against Kenya, while Tanzania exited in the group stage. 

This has broadened the coach's selection pool for the CHAN tournament.