Qatar 2022
Morocco wako hatua moja kutoka kwa nafasi nzuri katika fainali ya Kombe la Dunia, huku kocha wao Walid Regragui akikumbatia “kichaa” kabla ya mechi yao ya nusu fainali na mabingwa watetezi Ufaransa.
Mafanikio yao nchini Qatar na kuwa timu ya kwanza ya Afrika kufika hatua hii, yamewashangaza wengi hasa baada ya kocha aliyeiongoza Atlas Lions kwenye michuano hiyo kutimuliwa mwezi Agosti.
Inasemekana kuwa miongoni mwa timu zilizofanya vibaya katika soka la Afrika Kaskazini, ambapo taji lao pekee la bara lilifika 1976.Ushindi wa 2-0 wa Morocco dhidi ya Ubelgiji katika mchezo wao wa pili wa Kundi F ulikuwa ushindi wao wa kwanza kwenye Kombe la Dunia tangu 1998 – na wameshindwa kufuzu mashindano manne mfululizo .
Kikosi cha wachezaji 14 kati ya 26 cha Morocco kilizaliwa nje ya nchi – zaidi ya timu nyingine yoyote kwenye mashindano hayo – huku mchanganyiko wa wachezaji kutoka jamii zinazokua za wahamiaji barani Ulaya ukiwasaidia kuanza mwanzo mpya.
Mabadiliko muhimu kwa timu hiyo yalikuja miezi mitatu tu kabla ya fainali hizo wakati Vahid Halilhodzic alipotimuliwa kama kocha na nafasi yake kuchukuliwa na Regragui, ambaye alishinda ligi ya nyumbani na mataji ya Ligi ya Mabingwa Afrika akiwa na Wydad Casablanca msimu uliopita.
Mabadiliko hayo yamesaidia kutuliza mvutano kikosini, huku winga wa Chelsea, Hakim Ziyech akitoka kustaafu kimataifa, huku kuimarika kwa wachezaji uwanjani pia kukiwashangaza wengi.
Morocco imepata uungwaji mkono kwa sauti kubwa katika Kombe la Dunia la kwanza lililofanyika katika ulimwengu wa Kiarabu na mashabiki wao wataungana na wenzao ambao watasafirishwa na shirika la ndege la Royal Air Maroc Casablanca hadi Doha Jumanne na Jumatano.
Makadirio ya idadi inayobadilika-badilika ya mashabiki wa Morocco nchini Qatar ni kati ya 20,000 hadi 40,000.
Wachezaji hao wamekuwa mashujaa huku kukiwa na sherehe za furaha za ushindi kote Afrika Kaskazini, na kwa wanadiaspora barani Ulaya, – mfano wa Achraf Hakimi akimbusu mama yake baada ya ushindi na winga Sofiane Boufal akicheza na wake uwanjani baada ya kuifunga Ureno kwenye robo -fainali.
Timu hiyo pia imeonyesha imani zao za Kiislamu, wakiinama kwa sujud (kusujudu) mbele ya mashabiki wao baada ya kupiga hatua raundi ya mtoano.
Lakini ni nani anayeshiriki katika kikosi kinacholenga kuishangaza Ufaransa – wakoloni wa zamani ambao Morocco ilipata uhuru wao mnamo 1956 – kwenye Uwanja wa Al Bayt mnamo Jumatano (19:00 GMT)?
Bono na Maldini wa Morocco – Safu yao ya Ulinzi
Uimara wa safu ya ulinzi umekuwa jambo muhimu, baada ya kufungwa bao moja pekee katika mechi nane chini ya Regragui – bao lenyewe likiwa la kujifunga katika ushindi dhidi ya Canada.
Beki wa kulia Hakimi bila shaka ndiye nyota wa kikosi hicho na si mgeni kwa vilabu vikuu vya Ulaya, huku akiwa na Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund na Inter Milan -tayari akiwa amevichezea vyote akiwa na umri wa miaka 24.
Imemlazimu kupunguza hisia zake za ushambuliaji kwa kiasi fulani, lakini nyota huyo wa Paris St-Germain alionyesha hasira na kipaji chake kupitia mkwaju wake wa penalti wa mbinu ya Panenka uliokamilisha ushindi wa hatua 16 bora dhidi ya Uhispania.
Nahodha Romain Saiss, aliyeitwa ‘Maldini wa Morocco’ na kocha wa zamani wa Wolves Bruno Lage, na Nayef Aguerd wa West Ham wamekuwa na nguvu kwenye safu ya beki wa kati, lakini wote wawili wakiwa na matatizo ya majeraha kwenye mechi dhidi ya Ufaransa, Jawad El Yamiq na Badr Benoun wanaweza kuitwa kuchukua mahala pao.
El Yamiq mwenye umri wa miaka 30 ambaye sasa anachezea Uhispania Real Valladolid baada ya kuichezea Italia, alikuwa sehemu ya kikosi cha Morocco kilichotwaa Ubingwa wa Mataifa ya Afrika, mashindano ya wachezaji wa nyumbani, mwaka 2018 huku Benoun mwenye urefu wa futi 6’3, alipewa jina la utani ‘Sultan’ na wachezaji wenzake wa Al Ahly kabla ya kuhama kutoka kwa wababe hao wa Misri kwenda klabu ya Qatar mwaka huu.
Huku mchezaji wa Bayern Munich, Noussair Mazraoui akiondolewa kwenye robo fainali kutokana na jeraha, Yahya Attith-Allah – mmoja wa wachezaji watatu kwenye kikosi kutoka klabu ya zamani ya Regragui ya Wydad – ameingia na kuonekana mtulivu licha ya kucheza mechi yake ya kimataifa mwezi Machi.
Ukishapita ulinzi mkali zaidi, itabidi utafute njia ya kumpita Kipa Yassine Bounou, mzaliwa wa Canada anayejulikana kama Bono.
Akirejea Urusi miaka minne iliyopita, mchezaji huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 31 alishinda Ligi ya Europa akiwa na Sevilla mnamo 2020 na alishinda taji la Zamora msimu uliopita kwa kuwa kipa bora wa La Liga ya Uhispania.
“Unapokuwa na mmoja wa makipa bora zaidi duniani, inakufanya ujiamini , na Yassine anatupa hilo,” alisema Regragui baada ya timu yake kuitoa Ureno.
“Alitusaidia sana na anaposhiriki mechi, kwa hakika hatuwezi kuzuilika.”
‘Mvulana huyu anatoka wapi?’- kiungo wa kati mwenye bidii
Sofyan Amrabat amekuwa mmoja wa wachezaji bora waliosaidia Morocco kufuzu kwa hatua ya nne bora, huku kukaba kwake bila kuchoka kukiweka ukuta thabiti kwa safu ya ulinzi ya Morocco.
Kaka mdogo wa winga wa zamani wa Watford Nordin, ambaye alimbadilisha katika mchezo mmoja kwenye fainali za 2018, Sofyan mzaliwa wa Uholanzi aliiwakilisha Uholanzi katika kiwango cha wachezaji wa chini ya miaka 15 na uchezaji wake umeimarika katika klabu ya Fiorentina msimu huu.
Kando yake katika safu ya kiungo ni Azzedine Ounahi -mmoja wa wachezaji wanne katika kikosi ambao wanatoka katika Chuo cha Mohammed VI – ambaye uchezaji wake wa sanduku hadi sanduku unavutia baadhi ya vilabu vikubwa barani Ulaya.
“Mungu wangu, huyo kijana anatokea wapi?” aliuliza kocha wa Uhispania Luis Enrique baada ya kutolewa katika hatua ya 16 bora kwa mikwaju ya penalti.
“Anacheza kama wachezaji wa Uhispania. Hajaacha kukimbia, lazima awe amechoka.”
Akichezea klabu ya daraja la chini ya Angers nchini Ufaransa, mchezaji huyo wa kiufundi lakini mwenye umri wa miaka 22 alicheza mechi yake ya kimataifa mwezi Januari na kufunga mabao mawili katika ushindi wa mchujo wa kuwania kufuzu kwa Kombe la Dunia dhidi ya DR Congo miezi miwili baadaye na kuisaidia Morocco kufuzu.
“Simu inalia? Inalia sana,” mwenyekiti wa Angers, Said Chabane aliiambia RMC ya Ufaransa kuhusu nia ya Ounahi na mzalendo Boufal, ambaye pia ameanza kila mechi nchini Qatar.
Wakati huo huo, mchezaji Selim Amallah, aliyewahi kutamaniwa na meneja wa zamani wa Ubelgiji Roberto Martinez, pia amevutia ingawa hajacheza mchezo wa klabu tangu Septemba kwa sababu ya mvutano wa kandarasi na Standard Liege.
Kama Giroud kwa Ufaransa – Anatumia nguvu katika mashambulizi
Youssef En-Nesyri anaongoza safu ya mashambulizi , licha ya kutoifungia Sevilla msimu huu katika La liga , mchezaji huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 25 ana nafasi yake katika vitabu vya historia vya Kombe la Dunia la Morocco.
Mabo yake ya ushindi dhidi ya Canada na Ureno yamemfanya kuwa mfungaji bora wa muda wote wa nchi yake kwenye fainali hizo akiwa amefunga mabao matatu, akiwa pia amefunga mabao katika mechi ya hatua ya makundi na Uhispania mwaka 2018.
“Siku zote nimekuwa nikimwamini Youssef kwa sababu anatoa nguvu kubwa,” Regragui alisema.
“Kocha yeyote angependa awe katika timu yake kwa sababu anafanya kazi kwa bidii kwa ajili ya timu, kama (Olivier) Giroud wa Ufaransa.”
Ziyech anajulikana sana tangu alipokuwa na Ajax na Chelsea, lakini Regragui amepata ubora zaidi kutoka kwa mchezaji ambaye mchezo wake wa klabuni imekuwa ukitofautiana.
Mchezaji huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 29 alikuwa katika jangwa la kimataifa kati ya Juni 2021 na Septemba mwaka huu baada ya kutofautiana hadharani na kocha Halilhodzic, lakini sasa mechi zake nane kwenye fainali za Kombe la Dunia ni rekodi ya pamoja ya kitaifa pamoja na Hakimi.
Boufal, mmoja wa wachezaji wawili wa Morocco waliozaliwa Ufaransa (Saiss mwingine), amerejea katika kiwango chake bora cha kimataifa akiwa Angers, baada ya kufunga mabao matatu pekee katika mechi 70 za Ligi Kuu ya England katika kipindi cha miaka minne akiwa Southampton kilichomalizika 2020.
Yeye ni miongoni mwa wachezaji watano wa kikosi hicho wanaocheza kwenye ligue 1 ya Ufaransa , pamoja na Zakaria Aboukhlal (Toulouse), Achraf Dari (Brest), Hakimki na Ounahi.
Ufahamu wa ndani wa Hakimi kuhusu nyota wa Ufaransa Kylian Mbappe, mshirika mwenza wa timu ya PSG mjini Paris, utakuwa jambo la msingi ikiwa Morocco inaweza kuondoa kile ambacho bila shaka kinaweza kuwa msukosuko mkubwa zaidi wa Kombe la Dunia katika historia yake.
“Hatujaridhika na nusu fainali na kuwa timu ya kwanza ya Afrika kufanya hivyo. Tunataka kwenda mbali zaidi,” Regragui alisema.
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Inside Tanzania’s Life-Saving Birthcare Model
Tanzania is winning the battle against maternal and newborn deaths, as the latest numbers reveal a significant decline.
“Tanzania is committed to reducing maternal and newborn mortality and ensuring safe deliveries as part of the national development plan. The Safer Births Bundle of Care is one of the key strategies supporting this effort,” said Dr. Benjamin Kamala, the Senior Research Scientist at Haydom Lutheran Hospital and Principal Investigator for the program, leading its implementation across five regions in Tanzania.
A groundbreaking study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the innovative health program in Tanzania – centered on regular, on-the-job training for healthcare workers – reduced maternal deaths by 75% and early newborn deaths by 40%. The three-year study, conducted across 30 high-burden healthcare facilities in Tanzania, tracked approximately 300,000 mother-baby pairs under the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme. The programme focuses on improving care for mothers and babies during the day of birth, the critical time when a woman goes into labor and delivers her baby.
Maternal health is a key focus of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Target 3.1, which aims to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Tanzania’s program combines continuous, simulation-based training for frontline healthcare workers alongside innovative clinical tools to improve labour monitoring (fetal heart rate monitoring) and newborn resuscitation.It also uses data to drive ongoing improvements, ensuring that healthcare workers have the skills, confidence, and competence to manage birth-related complications for both mothers and newborns.
“We work closely with healthcare workers, equipping them with the necessary tools to improve the quality of care, ensuring they can effectively manage both mothers and babies during and after childbirth,” Dr. Kamala said, which helps them build on over a decade of innovative research and collaboration to improve care during childbirth.
“To give you a sense of the scale of the burden of maternal and newborn mortality in Tanzania when the Safer Births Bundles of Care program was in early development in 2015/16, there were around 556 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and 25 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births,” he said.
The published study demonstrates the “transformative impact” of the Safer Births Bundle of Care program conducted across 30 hospitals in five high-burden regions of Tanzania, where there were about 300,000 mother-baby pairs.
Maternal deaths at the start of the program were recorded at 240 per 100,000 live births, with postpartum hemorrhage and hypertensive disorders being the leading causes of death, he said. Over the 24-month study period, this number dropped to approximately 60 per 100,000 live births, representing a 75% reduction. The number of newborn deaths – which are primarily due to breathing difficulties and complications related to prematurity – declined by 40% – from 7 deaths per 1,000 live births to 4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
“These results are remarkable,” Dr. Kamala said.
According to Dr. Kamala, the 75% reduction in maternal deaths was not expected, and a key lesson was the important role of the in-situ team simulations – including for postpartum bleeding – with reflective debriefings that trained facilitators led.
“This seems to be a major part of the success of the program,” he said. “We are delighted by these results and hope that other countries adopt and scale the Safer Births Bundle of Care program… Beyond the numbers, the Safer Births Bundle of Care program has fostered a dramatic culture shift in our healthcare system,” he said. “Healthcare workers are now more confident and better equipped to handle birth-related complications for both mothers and babies.”
Maternal death drop
Dr. Kamala attributed the 60-70% reduction in newborn deaths in Geita and Manyara to several factors.
“Firstly, Manyara was the first site for implementation, giving the region more time to adapt and experience the impact of the program. Most importantly, both regions had a high burden of stillbirths and neonatal deaths, making them ideal targets for focused intervention. As a result, newborn deaths decreased by 60-70%, showcasing a clear positive impact on newborn survival,” he said.
Dr. Kamala said another possible explanation is the differences in the culture of practices, where some health facilities reported inaccurate data due to the fear of blame and shame. However, with the project’s implementation, reporting became more accurate after mplementation. Some regions, such as Tabora, reported an increase in the number of referrals to the study hospitals from other care centers after the program was implemented. These were more likely to be late admissions, which increase the likelihood of poor health outcomes, he said.
After the implementation of the program, there was a 40% decrease in newborn deaths within the first 24 hours after birth, according to the study.
Dr. Kamala said Tanzania’s remarkable progress in reducing maternal mortality by 80% is driven by strategic investments and innovative programs focused on improving maternal and child survival rates.
“Over 2,000 new healthcare facilities have been developed, free health services are being provided to expectant mothers and children under the age of five, and emergency obstetric care – including better transport to hospitals in rural areas are helping to ensure timely, life-saving interventions.
“Most importantly, the Ministry of Health works in collaboration with healthcare workers, hospitals, and development partners to strengthen the skills of frontline healthcare workers, which has been a key factor in driving this progress.
“Political leadership, alongside strategic partnerships and financing, has been crucial in driving progress in maternal and newborn health,” he said.
The program was made possible by the support of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children, and Adolescents, Norad, UNICEF, and Laerdal Global Health, as well as the Ministry of Health and Haydom Lutheran Hospital. Their partnership and investment enabled the scaling of the Safer Births Bundle of Care to 30 hospitals and supported the research. “The government has now scaled the program to over 150 sites, and there are plans for further expansion to three regions this year and then nationally,” he said.
Dr. Kamala outlined key policy recommendations for other governments can adopt to prioritize maternal health.
“Firstly, it focuses on cost-effective and relatively simple interventions that are essential to preventing maternal and newborn deaths. For example, stronger primary healthcare that is delivered in the community and a well-trained healthcare workforce are also critical. Additionally, working in close collaboration with national, regional, and local health authorities is key.”
He said Tanzania’s approach, where the Safer Births Bundle of Care program was successfully scaled and sustained by aligning the initiative with national guidelines for obstetrical and newborn care. In addition, the creation of mentorship programs and regular supervision has helped to sustain the results.
Looking ahead
Tanzania now plans to expand to three new regions in 2025, followed by a nationwide rollout.
The success of the program has attracted interest from other countries, with Botswana, Ethiopia, Lesotho, and Namibia expressing interest in adapting the program to their healthcare system. In Nigeria, the program has already been launched in two states, Gombe and Borno, marking a significant step in its scaling.
Source: allafrica.com
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