Football - Tanzania: Florent Ibenge, a convincing first year at Azam
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All original articlesJean-Florent Ibenge has had a great first season at the head of the technical staff of the Tanzanian club Azam FC. The Congolese technician managed to qualify this club in the group stage of a CAF interclub competition for the first time in its history.
Florent Ibenge maintains his reputation as one of the best African technicians. After successful stints in the AS V.club of the DRC, at the Renaissance Sportive de Berkane in Morocco and Al Hilal in Sudan, the Congolese technician has embarked this season on a new adventure in the Tanzanian championship of the first division, within Azam FC.
And this first season on Tanzanian soil is already marked by success for Ibenge who talks about Azam as an ambitious club. “Very competent and very humble leaders; it suits me very well and we will try to make sure that the club can move forward because for now they were a bit shy in football because they have other activities and there They tried to flap against Simba and Yanga and they called on me. We will try to be up to the task,” he said.
Historic qualification in the group stage of the Confederation Cup
The biggest achievement of the season by Jean-Florent Ibenge with Azam is the group stage qualification for the Confederation Cup. The very first qualification in the club’s history in the group stage of an African Interclub Cup.
Despite the two defeats conceded in the first two games against AS Maniema Union (0-2) in Kinshasa and against Wydad de Casablanca (0-1) at home, the Congolese technician does not want to put negative pressure on his players.
“We reached the season goal, qualifying for the Confederation Cup group stage. We can content ourselves with that, but that doesn’t mean that we present ourselves as expiatory victims during our matches. Our goal in each match is to win but what I ask of my players is not to have regrets at the end of each match,"
he said.
The conditions in Azam, better than at V.club
In Africa, Florent Ibenge enjoyed his first successes in the DRC, within the AS V.Club where he spent 9 years. Among the Muscovites, he lost two CAF interclub cup finals; the Champions League in 2014 against the Entente Sportive de Sétif d'Algérie and the Confederation Cup in 2018 against the Raja de Casablanca of Morocco. He also won the DRC championship twice.
Asked about the working conditions he had in V.Club and those he has in Azam FC, the Congolese technician noted a very large difference.
«What I have in Azam is completely out of proportion with what I had in Vita. Azam is a very well structured club, it has its own field, with an Academy. In V. Club I had 3 deputies and there I have 8 deputies with all possible facilities,"
he said.
After 4 games played in the Tanzanian championship, Azam FC has 6 points, a record of one win and 3 draws.