Serengeti Boys face Amajimbos hurdle

THE national U-17 team, Serengeti Boys will today be looking at maintaining their success in the 2017 CAF African Youth championships (AYC) qualifiers, when they face South Africa’s Amajimbos.

Serengeti Boys, under the tutelage of Bakari Shime alias ‘Black Wizard’ and Danish tactician Kim Poulsen are eager to make it into the Madagascar finals after seeing off underdogs Seychelles counterpart by 9-0 goals in aggregate in the two legged.

However, the team faces a tough test from their South Africans counterpart, Amajimbos at the Dobsonville Stadium in South Africa as victory for both sides is vital in order to place them in the better position of qualifying for the next year’s final.

Serengeti Boys need to play their card well to earn away crucial victory as it will put them few meters from the third round and will make things easier for them in the return leg match due a fortnight later at Azam’s Chamazi Complex in Dar es Salaam.

Shime’s youngsters face a tricky double-legged encounter, hoping to break South Africa’s dominance over them and cruise into the third round. Serengeti Boys arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday after they wrapped up their groundwork in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo with a convincing 2-0 win over their hosts, Madagascar on Tuesday.

Cyprian Mtesigwa and Kelvin Nashon scored in the 77th and 86th minutes respectively to seal the win for the Tanzanian boys. It was the second game between the two sides after Sunday’s stalemate.

Shime, who has enjoyed considerable success since taking over the national youth side, will be delighted with his team’s preparations for the second round duel against South Africa, who over the year have proved to be a stumbling block for Tanzania in continental qualifiers. The coach, who works closely with the overall national youth team coach, Kim Poulsen, hopes the Madagascar camp will help them when they engage South Africa.

Shime believes that the squad will have enough mettle to overcome their South African counterparts and the workout which will spur the Boys forward. Serengeti Boys booked a date with the Amajimbos after seeing off Seychelles on a 9-0 goal aggregate last weekend.

South Africa dumped out Serengeti Boys during the qualifiers for the 2015 AYC on a 4-0 goal aggregate. The overall winner of the two-legged match will face the winner between Namibia and Congo-Brazzaville. South Africa had an easy ride into the second round following the withdrawal of their opponents, while Namibia eliminated Botswana on 3-2 aggregate.

To make it difficult for Serengeti Boys, South Africa Football Association (SAFA) has decided to make it an entry free match that means the home team will have a huge support in the match to be officiated by referee Osiase William Koto from Lesotho.

The winners of the third round will qualify for the 2017 AYC finals planned for Madagascar and should Serengeti Boys sail though and reach the semi-final stage, they will automatically have the ticket for the U-17 World Cup in India.

Commenting on the game, Amajimbos coach Molefi Ntseki says winning against Tanzania and qualifying for the CAF African Youth championships in Madagascar would give SAFA’s Vision 2022 a new impetus.

Ntseki said SAFA’s Vision 2022 had given the country some direction which was slowly making this country very competitive continentally and globally.

"The last time, the U-17 qualified for the World Cup in Chile and that was the very squad that has now qualified for the U-20 CAF Africa Cup of Nations in Zambia next year. That is the type of progression needed for any country to do well in continental and global tournaments," said Ntseki.

The imposing coach said qualifying for the championships in Madagascar next year was a must as this would create massive opportunities for the players to play in further and bigger competitions. Having done well in his maiden African Youth championships, Ntseki said he as a coach was now wiser and more prepared for such examinations.

"This is a new team with new ideas and I believe we can do well against Tanzania. We will approach this game as a cup final that is for sure. The recent COSAFA championships in Mauritius also helped us hone our tactics and preparedness.”

Envoy graces Tanzania medal hunt in Rio Olympic Games

AS TANZANIA officially starts a medal hunt campaign in Rio de Janeiro today, the athletes’ hopes for success received a huge boost from the Tanzanian envoy to Brazil.

The country’s Acting Ambassador, Nathaniel Kaaya, visited the camp in Rio de Janeiro to motivate the athletes ahead of their tough mission, with a judoka Andrew Thomas Mlugu, to open the country’s medal chase.

According to the team’s Physician Nassor Matuzya, the Acting Ambassador was forced to travel for 12 hours from capital Brasilia to Rio de Janeiro to see the athletes’ camp.

Mlugu, who, will be making a debut to the world’s biggest multi-sports event, faces an experienced Australian Bensted in Rio de Janeiro The Tanzanian faces Australian Jake Bensted today in 73kg judo bout to begin the country’s medal hunt in 31st Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The bout is one of the 16 bouts to be held today in the Judo’s round of 32 stage. Aged 20, Mlugu was born on November 12, 1995 with a height measuring 1.58 m /5’ 2’’ — 73 kg / 161 lbs.

His Australian opponent, Bensted is aged 23 decorated with multiple Australian, Oceania Championships and Commonwealth Games medals. Like Mlugu it is his maiden entry to the Olympic Games. Bensted was introduced to the sport by his uncle at the age of six and first represented his country when he was 15.

He won his first of five straight junior national titles in 2010 and claimed his first senior national title in 2012. At Commonwealth Games debut later that year, Bensted made the semi-finals before going down in a close fight with eventual gold medallist Danny Williams of England.

He started the Olympic year with a fifth place finish in Tunisia and a seventh in Peru before going on to all but seal his debut Olympic appearance with a win over Gaston Lafon from French Polynesia in the final of the 2016 Oceania Championships.

The country’s second medal hunt will begin on Thursday when swimmer Hilal Hilal will be vying for 50m freestyle race title also in Rio de Janeiro. A day later on August 12, a young Tanzanian lady, Magdalena Moshi, will open her medal chase also in 50m freestyle at the same venue.

Sarah Ramadhan, the only lady marathoner is scheduled to run on August 15, according to the event’s time table. With seven athletes, Tanzania was the first nation to confirm Olympic team for Rio 2016. Four marathon runners, two swimmers and one judoka are representing the nation in Brazil.

Other athletes who will represent Tanzania are: Fabiano Joseph, Saidi Juma Makula and Alphonce Felix Simbu (all men’s marathon). More than 200 nations will compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, with the largest teams expected to come from the USA, Brazil and China.

It is estimated that there will be about 550 Americans, about 450 Brazilians and more than 380 Chinese athletes competing for medals in Rio this August. Tanzania won its only medals in 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Both Filbert Bayi finished second behind Paul Malinowski of Finland in 3,000m steeplechase and Suleiman Nyambui who finished behind Ethiopian Mirutz Yifter in 5000m, clinched silver medals.

TFF reacts to giants’ reforms mania

AS the debate on change of club ownership continues to rumble at giants Simba and Young Africans, Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), has warned that any move should observe the country’s laws as well as FIFA, CAF and TFF statutes and regulations.

Transformation fever has apparently engulfed the country’s most fancied sides, Simba and Young Africans after their members nodded to proposed changes to different model of ownership from current member-owned clubs. The wind of change started at Msimbazi Street with Simba members endorsing, during a general meeting held on July 31, the managerial restructure of the club.

The move paved way for businessman tycoon Mohamed Dewji (MO) to table a 20bn/- bid seeking to buy 51 per cent of shares of the club. A few days later their traditional rivals, Young Africans followed a suit on Saturday when its members unanimously approved a move to lease their club to their Chairman Yusuf Manji, giving him the mandate to own the club for ten years.

The clubs’ abrupt decisions, particularly Yanga’s lease, which looks alien to most football fans, have attracted mixed reactions among them football stakeholders in the country. And TFF President Jamal Malinzi apparently warned members and leaders of the two clubs to comply with laws and regulations governing the transfer of club ownership as stipulated in the statutes of international and national football governing bodies and the laws of the land.

“There is a hot debate over the ownership and running of our clubs, but when we discuss this matter, we should remember that any changes on the way our clubs are being run we must adhere to the country’s laws and statutes and regulations of FIFA, CAF, TFF and the respective clubs,” he said.

“We’re talking about National Sports Act of 1967, Capital Markets Securities Authority (CMSA) Act, which stipulates about collective investments and Bureau of Registration and Licensing Authority (BRELA) Act on shares of many investors,” he added.

He said it was also important that the clubs revisited FIFA statutes particularly the sections that stipulate about the running of a national league, the transfer of club ownership and clubs licensing.

“They should also go through TFF constitution especially the section which talks about the rights and responsibilities of TFF members,” Malinzi further said, recalling that all Premier League clubs are members of TFF.

“If all football stakeholders observe laws, regulations and procedures, things will move in the right direction and our football will make a step up,” the TFF President urged while insisting that it was important for club leaders to respect their respective statutes and ensure that they make constitutional-based decisions.

Malinzi, however, failed short of stating openly whether Simba and Yanga were right or wrong on their decisions. Dewji wants to own 51 per cent of Simba shares, which will make him majority shareholder, while the remaining 49 per cent of the stakes will be owned by the club members.

On the other hand, Yanga’s deal with Manji will see the club’s logo entitled to Dar es Salaam-based businessman, who will possess 75 per cent of the club’s revenues and the remaining 25 per cent will go to the club. In the agreement, the club’s premises, Kaunda ground and other physical assets will remain in the hands of the members.

Demotion looms at Yanga as Manji signs 10-year lease deal

PREMIER League champions Young Africans face demotion from the top flight league after failing to conduct online registration of players through the mandatory FIFA Transfer Matching System.

The club had not sent it by Sunday night, which was the deadline for domestic transfer window.

According to the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), Yanga was among clubs that failed to comply with the new system of player registration, which requires clubs to use online platform to record player transfers.

The country’s football governing body revealed in a statement yesterday that all clubs that did not comply with the regulation, that was first made mandatory in 2010, were facing demotion to third division.

“Clubs that did not submit their player registrations must prepare and submit their defense to TFF, that will be forwarded to FIFA, which has the mandate to reopen the window, should the defense be turned down the concerned club will be relegated to the division that does not use the TMS system,” TFF said in a statement.

TFF lambasted Yanga as regular defaults of the system, revealing that the club twice ignored to send a representative to a special TMS training organized for club officials, with the aim to impart them with the knowledge of online registration of players.

“For the second consecutive season, Young Africans have been among clubs that failed to send a representative for a three-day course, which brought together envoys from premier league, first division and second division leagues,” TFF said in the statement.

“The TMS manager at Young Africans is the club’s secretary general and he never had TMS training, while other clubs made efforts and sought TFF assistance to perform the exercise, Yanga never consulted TFF for assistance and did not respond whey they were reminded to about the player registration exercise,” the statement added. The FIFA Transfer Matching System is an online platform for FIFA’s Member’s Associations to record player transfers between clubs.

The introduction of the system was approved by the FIFA Congress in 2009 and was made mandatory from October 1, 2010. There are two variants; Domestic Transfer Matching System (DTMS) for player transfers between clubs affiliated to the same association and International Transfer Matching System (ITMS) for player transfers between two different football associations.

FIFA developed the Domestic Transfer Matching System following feedback from member associations and clubs expressing their desire to have a domestic version of the International Transfer Matching System (ITMS).

DTMS and ITMS are fully integrated, granting member associations and their affiliated clubs access to both international and domestic transfers in one place, providing a complete picture of all professional player transfers.

DTMS enables users to manage and monitor their domestic transfers, receive detailed transfer reports on a regular basis, communicate more efficiently with each other to speed up the approval process and store official documents safely for easy referral.

Through system based processes, member associations are able to increase club adherence to domestic regulations and improve monitoring levels that allow for greater involvement in transfer review and approval processes.

Meanwhile, Grace Mkojera reports that Chairman of Young Africans, Yusuf Manji and the club’s trustees will today sign a deal that gives the chairman a 10-year ownership lease. The signing will also give Manji rights to use Quality Group label in the team’s jerseys effective from the coming season.

Manji requested an approval from the club’s members in a meeting held in Dar es Salaam two days ago. In his meeting with members, Manji requested a 10- year lease altogether with the use of his Quality Group label, promising to return to the club 25 per cent of the income generated. He said he will pocket the remaining 75 per cent of the club’s revenues garnered from the deal.

Manji’s take over, as he told reporters in a meeting with them over the weekend, aims at fast-tracking development at the club so that it becomes one of the biggest clubs at the continental level.

Ajib, Mavugo lit up Simba Day

IBRAHIM Ajib and Laudit Mavugo’s brilliance played a vital role in brightening the Simba Day gala at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

Their superb goals in both halves gave Simba a comfortable 4-0 win over Kenyan giants, AFC Leopards who were invited to help colour the day.

The victory was witnessed by the Dar es Salaam Regional Commissioner (RC), Paul Makonda and the Deputy Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, the Elderly and Children, Dr Hamis Kigwangala, who were among the top dignitaries.

From a narrow 1-0 lead in the first half, Simba took the second half strongly and managed to add three more goals through Ajib, Shiza Kichuya and Mavugo who netted the third and fourth goals in the 64th and 81st minutes respectively.

Alongside Ajib’s bright performance, Burundian import Mavugo had also a good show that evidenced why Simba fought tooth and nail to ensure he serves the club this season. Fielding Mavugo in the second half added power to the club’s attack and over 40,000 fans were satisfied he was the right man for the job. Ajib, one of the Simba’s golden boys delighted over 40,000 Simba fans when he scored a superb opener in the 38th minute.

The skilful player released a 30m blockbuster that went untouched behind the gapping net, past AFC Leopards goalkeeper Ian Otieno. Simba were capable of leading by a bigger margin if they utilised three golden chances created by Ivorian striker Frederick Blagnon and Shiza Kichuya.

The goal remained until the end of the first half.

The second half was dominated by the entry of Burundian Mavugo whose transfer to Msimbazi Street captured all the club’s signing this season. Mavugo replaced the Ivorian Blagnon in the second half.

Barely 10 minutes after resumption, Ajib added the second goal for Simba from a close range. Kichuya rounded the AFC Leopards defender on the right flank and placed the ball to the scorer who coolly taped it in past Otieno. Mavugo’s brilliance was clearly observed in the 64th minute when his accurate pass found Kichuya who easily netted the third goal. After the third goal in the 64th minute, Simba benched Ajib for Mohamed Ibrahim.

It took Mavugo until the 81st minute to score his first goal for Simba. Mavugo completed a one-two pass between him and Kichuya. Simba Day kicked off with a week long activities, in which club officials and players partook in various social programmes aimed at endearing it to the fans and their immediate stakeholders.

And the seventh edition of Simba Day came to grand end as Joseph Omog’s charges entertained Kenyan giants AFC Leopards in a friendly match at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam.

Simba, which was founded in 1936, used the occasion to officially introduce their new signings and unveils the club’s kits for the 2016/17 Premier League season, which gets underway on August 20. Looking to bounce back from a four-year stuttering run, the Reds have bolstered their squad significantly ahead of the new league campaign.

Meanwhile, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) yesterday sent congratulation message to Simba SC as the club celebrated its 80th anniversary.

“For almost seven years now, Simba SC leadership has been celebrating on August 8, every year, they have a special week to commemorate the history of the club’s establishment whereby members learn about their team’s history,” TFF said.

“This is a good thing that should be honoured ... our call to Simba management and members is to preserve this tradition,” TFF added, noting that the Msimbazi Street-based club has a rich history and had massively contributed to regional and African football in general.

Yanga fate now in FIFA’s hands

TAZANIA Football Federation (TFF) has officially confirmed receiving Young Africans letter defending the club’s failure to submit their players’ registration through the Domestic Transfer Matching System (DTMS) for 2016/17 season.

The Tanzania premier league champions were supposed to have submitted their registration to the World Football governing body (FIFA) by August 6 this year.

The team’s Acting Secretary General Deusdedit Baraka, who earlier claimed they had already submitted it, later admitted he was confused with the registration the club had sent to the Confederations of African Football (CAF) thinking it would also serve in FIFA regulations.

The Domestic Transfer Matching System which was officially opened on June 15 required the clubs to send two officials to attend a seminar aimed at giving them knowledge on how to conduct registrations through the system.

However, Young Africans ignored the invitation to attend a three-day seminar without any explanation, a situation that risks disciplinary actions from FIFA for failure to submit their registration on time.

However, TFF disclosed that despite receiving the defence letter from them they cannot decide on the matter as the decision was in the hands of the World Football governing body (FIFA).

TFF’s Information and Communication Officer, Alfred Lucas told the Daily News yesterday that Yanga Deputy Secretary General Baraka Deusdedit submitted the defence letter to the federation office as required by the federation to all the teams which have failed to complete or submit their players’ registration through DTMS.

According to Lucas, Yanga and the newly promoted African Lyon are the only two topflight clubs that have failed to meet the deadline while seven others are from the First and Second divisions. Lucas told the Daily News that Yanga had been reminded several times about the matter and they failed to complete it by August 6, the day set as a deadline.

Following the failure, the club faces demotion to the lower division which is among the penalties slapped for the offence. According to FIFA guidance there are several penalties if a transfer is not completed in the correct manner or if Clubs and associations fail to apply the system after the deadline.

The penalties include an official warning, a fine, exclusion from a competition, the withholding of a trophy or award, the annulment of match results, match forfeiture, points deduction, demotion to a lower division and a transfer ban.

These, however, may be subject to a wide range of penalties imposed by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the seriousness of the violation.

Therefore, Yanga, African Lyon, Coastal Union, Friends Rangers, Kiluvya United to name but a few, which are among nine clubs threatened by FIFA wrath if it is not satisfied with their defence for the alleged charges.

TFF has given the nine clubs two days from yesterday to submit their defence and thereafter the federation will write to FIFA asking them to re-open the system so the clubs can complete and submit their registrations.

If satisfied with the clubs’ defence, FIFA may re-open the system for two to three days.

Inflation drops to 5.1 pc in July, says NBS

INFLATION in Tanzania decreased to 5.1 per cent in July from 5.5 per cent recorded in June, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said yesterday.

NBS Director of Population, Census and Social Statistics, Mr Ephraim Kwesigabo, told reporters in Dar es Salaam the decrease is attributed to the decrease in prices of various commodities during July.

“The decrease of Annual Headline Inflation Rate for the year ending July 2016 explains that the speed of price increase for commodities in the year ending July has decreased as compared to the speed of price increase recorded for the year ended June 2016,” he said.

He said the annual inflation rate for food and non-alcoholic beverages in July decreased to 7.6 per cent from 8.1 per cent recorded in the month of June.

“Annual inflation rate for the food consumed at home and away from home has decreased to 7.8 per cent recorded in June 2016,” he explained, adding: “In addition, the 12-month index change for non-food items has decreased to 3.2 per cent in July from 3.6 per cent recorded in June 2016.”

On the other hand, Mr Kwesigabo said, the overall index went up to 103.50 in July from 89.48 recorded in June. The increase of the overall index is attributed to the price increase of both food and nonfood items.

Some of the food items that contributed to such increase include cooking oils by 1.1 per cent, fresh fish by 6.0 per cent, fruits by 4.9 per cent and dry beans by 2.7 per cent, cooking banana 1.9 per cent and white maize grains by 1.5 per cent.

“On the other hand, nonfood items that contributed to such increase include diesel -- by 5.6 per cent, kerosene by 3.7 per cent and petrol by 1.3 per cent,” said Mr Kwesigabo. In another development, the senior NBS official said that the purchasing power of 100 Tanzanian shillings has reached 96/- and 62 cents in July 2016 from December.

The consumer purchasing power of the Tanzanian shilling measures the change in the value of consumer goods and services that a Tanzanian shilling could buy at different periods. If the overall level of consumer price index (CPI) goes up, the purchasing power of a Tanzania shilling goes down”, he explained.