The Burundian tactician is not sure whether the Taifa Stars captain will face the Chipolopolo in the group opener
Tanzania coach Etienne Ndayiragije has claimed he does not know the condition of striker John Bocco ahead of their opening match in the African Nations Championships on Tuesday.
The Taifa Stars will open their campaign in the tournament with a clash against Zambia at Limbe Stadium in Cameroon on Tuesday.
And despite including unfit Simba SC striker Bocco in his final squad for the competition, Ndayiragije has now claimed he has not received any news concerning the fitness of the player from the doctors and was not sure whether he will be able to start against the Chipolopolo.
“I have not received any news on Bocco,” Ndayiragije told Azam TV. “He is still under the care of doctors and they have not given me the report so I don’t know if he will be fit to play in the matches.
“I would rather you talk to the team manager because or even face the doctors because they are the ones allowed to comment on matters injuries. All I know, I have not received any updates on the player and I cannot guarantee he will start in the opening match.”
Bocco, who captains the national team as well as Simba, has struggled with injuries this season and despite returning during Simba’s 4-0 win against FC Platinum in the Caf Champions League, he is yet to regain his form.
On the overall condition of the team, the Burundian tactician said: “We arrived safely and am happy the weather is cool for the players and everything is okay and we thank God for that.
“We did our first training already after the long trip here and we tried to help the players to kill jetlag and return to form because we have a huge task coming up and we are happy all the players responded well to the training and they are all looking good and ready for the battle.”
Ndayiragije further revealed they had talked to the players to forget about the recent bomb explosion at Limbe Stadium, saying they have been assured of security by the authorities in Cameroon.
“We have asked our players to remain focused because it is our job to psyche them, make sure that whatever happened here two days ago does not affect them mentally when they enter the pitch for the opener,” Ndayiragije continued.
The Taifa Stars will have to deal with Zambia, Guinea, and Namibia in Group D of the competition.
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