Head coach of the Mozambican beach soccer national team, Saidate Moveia says the agreed objective between him and his players is to see Mozambique at represented at Africa’s first ever FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup next year.
Africa plays host to the global showpiece for the first time next year as Seychelles prepares to welcome the world to its shores.
But first, teams must compete for the two available slots that will make up the African trio that will consist of hosts Seychelles, CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations winners as well as the runners up that will be decided over the next few weeks in Egypt.
Speaking to CAFOnline ahead of the continental showpiece set to take place in Hurghada, Egypt between 19 – 26 October, Moveia says the 2021 silver-medallists are aiming at putting Mozambique at the global stage, which must come through a finalist finish.
“The first objective is to begin the competition with a victory. We understand the importance of this tournament. Starting off well will certainly be crucial for the final outcome, as the main goal is to qualify for the World Cup. Step by step, we aim to achieve all the immediate objectives: winning each game, qualifying Mozambique for the World Cup, and, if we succeed, doing everything possible to win the tournament” said a confident Moveia.
Mozambique, who finished fourth in the 2022 edition as hosts are drawn in a tough Group B consisting of reigning champions Senegal, Malawi as well as debutants, Mauritania.
The team held its training camp in Cascais, Portugal where the coach’s focus was to fine-tune their system and have the players in the best shape when competing against the best players in Africa.
“During the training process, the players assimilated well to the new organizational schemes aimed at equipping the team with strong game control and constant balance. The physical condition of the players has been managed to ensure they are in optimal shape at the start of the competition. This is quite important for us as the game of Beach Soccer is very demanding and requires one to be in the best shape” concluded the coach.
Mozambique kick-off their CAF Beach Soccer AFCON campaign on Sunday, 20 October with a clash against Malawi at 13h00 GMT.
CAF BEACH SOCCER AFCON EGYPT 2024 GROUPS:
GROUP A: Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania, Ghana
GROUP B: Senegal, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritania
