WITH the start of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals now only days away, the passionate local football fans who are gaga about the ‘people’s game’ are growing increasingly excited over the fact that such a high profile, and immensely esteemed African football championship will be taking place in our country alongside our co-hosts Uganda and Kenya.

Indeed, this is a significant achievement, as it will mark the first time a prestigious continental football competition is partly staged in Tanzania.

Undoubtedly, legions of Taifa Stars supporters will be keeping their fingers crossed in the fervent hope that the senior national football team will comfortably overcome their counterparts in a potentially tricky Group A, which comprises Burkina Faso, Mauritania, the Central African Republic, and Madagascar.

It is expected as well that the 2024 CHAN finals will serve as a litmus test of Taifa Stars’ mettle and, crucially, it will reveal just how good our Mainland Premier League is.

To all those who have been haplessly stuck under a large boulder for a long while, the CHAN is a perennially compelling football tournament that is reserved for only home-based players on the continent.

Thus, as we wait with bated breath for our Taifa Stars’ opening encounter against Burkina Faso this Saturday at the truly majestic Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

It is an undeniable truth that the 2024 CHAN finals will serve up some pretty enthralling moments of pure football magic.

Godspeed then, to Taifa Stars as they finalise their preparations for the vital task at hand.

Let us now turn our attention to the prodigiously gifted Gallic attacker, Kylian Mbappe, who was recently handed the coveted No. 10 football jersey by his globally renowned La Liga side Real Madrid.

Mbappe, a household name and an undisputed football icon of African descent, enjoyed a remarkable debut season at Real Madrid last term in which he netted a ton of goals and contributed an impressive number of assists.

It should be noted here that the No. 10 jersey in football is not afforded to just any run-of-the-mill player on a team but is traditionally given to the best player on a football team.

It should be remembered, too, that the No. 10 jersey in football has a lengthy history of its own in the annals of the game.

Indeed, the jersey was rendered special by the one-of-a-kind Brazilian football genius, the unforgettable Pele, who bowled over football fans with his unstoppable blend of dribbling sorcery, extraordinary pace and an uncanny ability to score spectacular goals.

Following Pele’s retirement from the sport, the No. 10 jersey was given to timeless football maestros like the French playmaker Michel Platini, Brazilian forward Zico, the incomparable Diego Armando Maradona and perhaps most recently, the deadly diminutive attacker Lionel Messi.

It can be seen then that a lot will be expected from Mbappe in the new football season, which is looming large on the horizon.