Tanzania has taken the decision to suspend manager Adel Amrouche after he received an eight-match ban from the Confederation of African Football. The ban was imposed following a complaint by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation over remarks made by Amrouche.

In a statement released by the Tanzania Football Federation, it was revealed that the suspension was a response to the coach’s comments alleging that Morocco had undue influence in Caf, manipulating match scheduling and officiating. 

The TFF stated, “The Tanzania Football Federation has suspended Coach Adel Amrouche from all his duties with immediate effect.”

Hemed Suleiman Ali has been appointed as interim charge of the Taifa Stars, with the assistance of Juma Mgunda. The move comes as Tanzania aims to progress to the knockout stages in their third appearance at the Afcon finals.

Amrouche, who was appointed as Tanzania’s boss in March 2023, secured Afcon qualification by earning a crucial point in his birth country of Algeria during the final qualifying match. 

The 55-year-old coach has previously managed national teams in Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Kenya, Libya, and Botswana.

TFF President Wallace Karia distanced the organization from Amrouche’s statements, stating, “We as [the] TFF do not agree with his comments. Those are his own personal sentiments as a coach.” Karia emphasized the TFF’s commitment to Caf’s procedures and clarified, “We are Caf members, and we know Caf follows its own procedures without influence from any country. The TFF and the Moroccan football federation are friends.”

Amrouche had initially criticized the RMFF’s influence in African football before the start of Afcon, prompting the suspension. In response to the ban, the TFF reiterated its stance, saying, “We want to remind Amrouche that the suspension by CAF was due to his comments that brought the image of Tanzanian football into disrepute.”

Amrouche had attempted to backtrack on his comments before the Afcon 2023 opener against Morocco, stating, “I spoke out a month ago, saying they are one of the best teams in the world. They reached the [World Cup] semi-final. They are not a team that win by luck, they win with their abilities. They deserve [it].”