Like all good things, Tarryn Allarakhia and Haji Mnoga’s friendship began at a National League match between Wealdstone and Aldershot in 2023 when they were opponents. Since then they have moved to the north-west and are heading into a second Africa Cup of Nations as Tanzania internationals together.
This is the fourth time Tanzania, who sit 112th in Fifa’s rankings, have qualified for the tournament but they are yet to secure a victory. In Côte d’Ivoire in 2023, Allarakhia and Mnoga were part of a squad that secured draws against Zambia and DR Congo, but that was not enough to get them out of the group. Nigeria, the highest-ranked side in the group, will be their first opponents on Tuesday before clashes with Tunisia and Uganda in Morocco for the Taifa Stars.
