Mozambique national team coach Chiquinho Conde has explained why Edmilson Dove didn’t play in the decisive AFCON qualifier against Benin.
Conde guided Mozambique to a return to the AFCON for the first time in over a decade after a thrilling 3-2 win over Benin on Saturday.
The Mambas’ spirited win sealed their return to the AFCON after an 11-year absence.
But the Kaizer Chiefs defender watched from the bench as his Mambas teammates rewrote history.
Conde has since explained why there was no place in the starting line-up for the former Cape Town City left-back.
WHY EDMILSON DOVE DIDN’T PLAY AGAINST BENIN
“Edmilson Dove didn’t play [against Benin] because he was recently injured over the week. I didn’t want to risk it,” Conde told FARPost.
Dove has missed the opening matches of the DStv Premiership due to injury. He also did not participate in the pre-season after being sidelined by injury.
However, he recently started training at Chiefs, earning himself a call-up to the national team. Dove is a key player for Mozambique and often captains the side.
Conde is hopeful that Dove will be fit for Chiefs’ DStv Premiership campaign. “He is a very important player for us, and we need him at his best.”
Conde said he wants his team to continue evolving, even after their recent success in qualifying for AFCON.
He intends to use the upcoming CHAN qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers to prepare for the tournament that will be hosted in Ivory Coast next January.
“We want to take advantage of the CHAN and World Cup Qualifying games to continue competing,” Conde said. “And on the FIFA date, we want to compete with top African or European teams to continue to evolve because we still have a lot of work to do, especially in tactical terms and creating habits in playing with a lot of public.”
Conde is an ambitious coach who is determined to lead Mozambique to success. He believes his team can continue to evolve and become a force reckoned with in African football.
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