Kaseja tells it as it is

Simba Sports Club were two weeks ago knocked out of the continental Confederation Cup by Motema Pembe in the second leg match played in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

They failed miserably to make full use of the golden opportunity handed to them by the Arab influenced Confederation of African Football, CAF, following their appeal against DRC’s TP Mazembe who had knocked them out on a 6-2 goal aggregate in the continental qualification series for the Champions League.

For the first time in Simba’s history, one of the club’s players bitterly complained over lack of commitment exhibited by his colleagues during the away match.

For those who taken keen interest on soccer development in the country, this was a departure from what Tanzanians have been subjected to by returning national and clubs soccer players.

National goalkeeper, Juma Kaseja blamed Simba’s failure in Kinshasa on his colleagues.

He said they failed to make good use of several scoring opportunities that came their way in the course of the match.

He said Simba players had exhibited not only lack of seriousness but childishness, saying it was important for his colleagues to realize that that was not a premier league encounter, that it required seriousness on the game.

For the first time, Tanzanians were told the cause of Simba’s two nil defeat was not refereeing or hostile fans, but rather Tanzanian players.

Kaseja’s complaints were somewhat supported by their Ugandan coach, Moses Basema, who complained that his players had lost the match due to their failure to make good use of several scoring opportunities which came their way.

Although Basema was not as blunt as his goalkeeper, however, his use of words; ‘I’m very disappointed with the results,’ and ‘we had contained (Motema Pembe) them,’ clearly showed his agreement with what Kaseja had said.

Unfortunately Kaseja’s complaints are not new!

Many Tanzanian soccer fans have for a long time strongly believed that the failure by Tanzanian clubs/national teams soccer teams in regional, continental and international tournaments have, to a great extent, had nothing to do with coaching/coaches, but players.

And talking about coaches, no country in East Africa has had some of the best coaches in the world than Tanzania.

Some of the high profile coaches the country has had include former Manchester United German goalkeeper, Bert Trautman and former Bayern Munich coach who gave the German club a Bundesliga shield, Rudi Gutendorf.

But despite having such high profile coaches, Tanzanian players came a cropper!

Our players just like other Tanzanians in many other sectors that includes politics, lack commitment in whatever they do.

By the way, have we all forgotten what a section of DRC national players said a few months ago about Tanzanian players during the Nile Cup tournament organized by Egypt early this year?

The Congolese players were quoted by local papers to have said they were shocked by Tanzanian players’ conduct on the pitch when they were pumped five goals to one by the Egyptians.

They said instead of feeling sorry, some Tanzanian players smiled whenever they conceded a goal from their Egyptian counterparts!

Now for one to understand Kaseja’s complaints-cum-arguments, one has simply got to make a flashback on what happened during the last three or so matches of the premier league when Simba appeared to have almost wrapped up the league title.

But we all know what happened in what is now history.

 Simba lost the title to their arch-rivals, Young Africans.

Had Simba had serious leaders this was an incident they would have been expected to take a hard look at.

And this for the simple reason that the incident had contained all the tell-tale signs of the club’s imminent fall.

Unfortunately they did not, and the Kinshasa result is the outcome of the leadership’s lack of focus and commitment.

Simba’s Chairman and legislator, Ismail Aden Rage, now says he will never commit his club to future matches in the DRC.

Rage’s pronouncement is a result of what both Simba and journalists who accompanied the club to Kinsasa say, that they were violently targeted by Motema Pembe’s fans.

While I personally share Rage’s concerns, however, his planned response is wrong!

Instead he should do exactly what he did a few weeks ago, write a letter to the CAF, cataloguing all problems his players encountered in the DRC’s capital, Kinshasa.

If the continental soccer governing body buys their story, then DRC pitches will be banned for a couple of years until its clubs start behaving decently.

Meanwhile one hopes that the Simba club leadership will take appropriate steps, sooner than later, in order to ensure that their players take future matches more seriously.


By Attilio Tagalile