Ligi Kuu Bara: Why Taoussi wants a strong finish for Azam FC

Photo Credit - Azam FC.

Azam FC head coach Rachid Taoussi has rallied his troops to finish the Mainland Premier League strongly to secure a place in the CAF Confederation Cup next season.

The Ice Cream Makers are currently third in the 16-team league table with 54 points from 27 matches, but their qualification for the inter-club competition is not secured as fourth-placed Singida Black Stars are one point behind them with three matches left to conclude the campaign.

According to the Moroccan coach, for Azam to get the ticket, they have to win all their remaining matches, starting with their fixture against Dodoma Jiji at Azam Complex on Wednesday.

“It is true that we are not having good results after being eliminated from all the titles we fought for this season,” said Taoussi. “I have called my boys to camp early to prepare for the remaining three matches. It will not be easy, but we are working on a plan, and the players are aware of the task ahead.

“We have left our rivals chasing us for third place by one point. This is not good for us. Despite a strong start to the second round, we have dropped many points. Now we must make sure we don’t drop a single point in the remaining three matches, although it will not be easy.”

He added: “In the last five league matches, we have dropped six points after losing two games and winning three. We need a strong finish in these final three games, and if we win them, that would be four straight wins, a good position to secure CAF Confederation Cup participation.

“Only the league will give us representation in the Confederation. So we need to invest more energy to get that representation. The players realise the importance of getting results in those three games, and we have sat down to plan the strategies necessary to achieve our goal.”

After the game against Dodoma Jiji, Azam will face Tabora United and conclude their fixtures against Singida Black Stars.