Mart Nooij has been sacked as national coach of Tanzania following a 3-0 home defeat to Uganda in the first leg of their preliminary round African Nations Championship (CHAN)) qualifier.
The match, one of three in East Africa this weekend in the competition for locally-based players, was dominated by Uganda who completed a double over Tanzania in the last CHAN qualifiers.
Erisa Ssekisambu scored in each half before Farouk Miya converted a late penalty to secure a first leg victory and signal the end of Nooij’s reign.
Nooij has paid the price for a string of poor results since taking over as coach of the Taifa Stars 14 months ago.
Last weekend, Tanzania lost 3-0 to Egypt in their first 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Tanzania Football Federation announced the news on their website and say they will name a replacement in due course.
Elsewhere, Mozambique looked impressive as they beat Seychelles 5-1 at Beira to kick off their campaign in style.
Luis Jose Miquissone proved to be an effective weapon for the Mozambican Mambas (Snakes) with an 18-minute hat-trick.
However, the teenage goal-poacher may soon be ineligible for the competition as he is set to join newly promoted South African Premiership club Jomo Cosmos.
Only home-based stars can compete in the CHAN, which was created to give local talent international exposure because many African national teams are dominated by foreign-based stars.
Reinildo Isnard Mandava and Diogo Antonio Alberto were also on target for the hosts to give new Mozambique coach Helder ‘Mano Mano’ Muianga a dream debut.
Former national team defender Muianga succeeded sacked Joao Chissano last Sunday after Mozambique suffered a shock home defeat by Rwanda in their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Gervais Waye-Hive scored for the Seychelles when his team were trailing by four goals midway through the second half.
| Morocco v Libya (holders) | Ethiopia v Kenya |
| Guinea-Bissau 1-1 Mali | Zimbabwe v Comoros Islands |
| Mauritania v Sierra Leone | Lesotho v Botswana |
| Guinea v Liberia (in Mali due to Ebola in Guinea) | Namibia v Zambia |
| Senegal 3-1 The Gambia | Mozambique 5-1 Seychelles |
| Tanzania 0-3 Uganda | South Africa 3-0 Mauritius |
| Djibouti v Burundi | Swaziland v Angola |
Also in the south zone, South Africa defeated Mauritius 3-0 in chilly Soweto with all the goals coming before half-time.
Thamsanqa Gabuza broke the deadlock and prolific second-division scorer Siphelele Ntshangase bagged a brace against rivals reduced to 10 men when David Lengclume was sent off on 81 minutes.
Winning coach Ephraim ‘Shakes’ Mashaba had only 11 players – including two goalkeepers – on the eve of the game after several clubs withdrew players despite it being the domestic off-season.
Club-versus-country clashes are common in South Africa and because CHAN fixtures do not fall within the Fifa calendar, clubs can dictate to national associations.
In the west zone, Mamadou Niang scored twice as Senegal overcame neighbours Gambia 3-1 in Dakar and Mali came from behind to force a 1-1 draw in Guinea-Bissau.
Title-holders Libya began their defence by edging Tunisia 1-0 with Mouayed Gritli snatching the 75th-minute match-winner in Casablanca.
Victory propelled the Mediterranean Knights to the top of a mini-league ahead of Morocco, who were held 1-1 by Tunisia in the opening game.
The three North zone contenders are using a double-round group format while the other five regions have adopted a two-leg knockout system.
A further seven fixtures are scheduled for later on Sunday while the Guinea-Liberia clash has been delayed 24 hours to Monday.
Return matches are set for the weekend of 3-5 July.
A total of 42 countries are set to chase 15 places at the 2016 finals while Rwanda qualify automatically as hosts of the tournament that runs from 16 January to 7 February.
BBC
