D.R. Congo coach proud of first appearance
Head coach of the D.R. Congo Francis Tuzolana revealed to Egypt 2021 that he was glad to be making a the first appearance for Congo at Egypt 2021 and that their goal is to pass to the second round of the tournament.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is participating in the 27th IHF Men’s Handball World Championship, which will be held in Egypt from 13 to 31 January 2021, with the participation of 32 teams for the first time in history.
They appear for the first time in the world championship after they qualified to participate as they were ranked seventh in the last African Nations Cup in Tunisia in 2020, taking advantage of Egypt's hosting of the major event.
D.R. Congo are one of the newcomers for Egypt 2021 (along with Uruguay and Cape Verde).
D.R. Congo have made 12 appearances in the Men’s African Championship, and their best results came in 1992 and 2010 when they finished in the fourth place.
Coach Francis Tuzolana leads the Panthers national team in the first appearance at the tournament, and seeks to present an honourable image of his country in the World Championship.
Francis Tuzolana spoke to Egypt 2021 official website, where he said: “The Federation assigned me in January 2020 and the task was leading the national team in the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia and qualifying for the World Championship which has been accomplished, and now I am facing a new mission which is the first in the history of our federation and our country, and this is very close to my heart so I am proud to lead the national team in the World Championship".
"Our main goal was to not only qualify for the World Championship but we wanted to grow and develop and structure the federation in terms of sport, and to compete with teams at the highest level" Tuzolana added.
Speaking on the level of his team now, Tuzolana said: "The team's condition is good we have good players and as all people know that we do not have the capabilities of the top teams, but we are working with our strength and our values. Also, we have young players who work hard to display the national team in the best form, and I will be attentive to the development of each player during the coming period".
Tuzolana talked about his team's group of the tournament, which included Denmark, defending champion, Argentina and Bahrain, where he commented: “We are in a group that is not easy as Argentina are a strong team in South America and Bahrain have gained great experience for five years now, and Denmark are World Champions so it is a great honour to face them, we want to battle for a ticket to qualify for the second round. "
The coach has a specific plan to assemble the players and set up a preparatory program for the World Championship, he confirmed: “We have a group of professional and amateur players and we will continue to build on what we have achieved in the 2020 African Cup of Nations, so we will start a camp for a week on the first of November, then a closed camp for three weeks before the competition ".
And about his country's goal during the tournament, Francis said: "We have every opportunity to get everything beautiful. This is our first experience and we should not miss this opportunity".
On the conditions of the new Corona virus and the organisation of the tournament in exceptional circumstances, Tuzolana said: "We are in exceptional circumstances and this adds some anxiety in preparing for the tournament, and we know that measures will be taken, but the physical safety and health of the players and all participants is a priority”.
Francis Tuzulana sent a message to his country’s fans before participating in the World Championshiop, as he said: “I invite all our fans, families and friends to follow us and support us in this mission, and we affirm that we will do our best to give them happiness and pride for our country.”