My assertions in one of these columns a few days ago on our lack of seriousness in overseeing the development of soccer at grass-root level was vindicated by Taifa Stars’ coach last Thursday when he spoke to Daily News Sports Editor, Kilyinga Nasongelya in an interview published on the Daily News on Thursday this week.
Perhaps the only difference between what I said and what was pointed out by Jan Poulsen was the manner we couched our statements.
Poulsen was very diplomatic, for very understandable reasons. I was blunt, naming institutions that have been sitting on the fence instead of dealing with the issues at hand.
However, at the end of the day, our statements boiled down to one thing.
We have, collectively, failed to get anywhere because we have deliberately decided not to engage in the development of the beautiful game.
Poulsen said since he arrival in the country, nine or so months ago, he has guided Taifa Stars in 20 matches while the national youth soccer team has played five matches, quite inadequate, for developing the game at that level.
I totally share his arguments. We can’t get anywhere as long as we expose our youth national soccer team to less than ten matches per annum!
And as I had occasion to point out a few months ago, it is very unfortunate that we have behaved very ignorantly on this matter as if this country has never had in its soccer history vibrant juvenile soccer teams!
What is interesting is that one of our national soccer teams coaches, Adolf Rishard, in fact is a fruit of the country’s once most successful youth team which came to be referred to as Yanga Juvenile soccer team.
Yet Rishard, currently with the national women’s soccer team-Twiga Stars, has never attempted, to my knowledge, to emulate what had given birth to what he was then, engage in the development juvenile soccer teams.
Of course, Rishard cannot do that we expect him to do until and unless the TFF took some efforts in empowering the man.
As we all know, our soccer fathers have not carried part of their responsibility bit, and the rut continues until, God knows when somebody, somewhere will perhaps one day wake us up!
Unfortunately, as I have always hinted, the time is not on our side. We ought to act now before it is too late.
Meanwhile because of the existence of better systems, our neighbours, Uganda and Kenya, are doing better as far as soccer development is concerned.
For instance, Uganda is presently doing better in continental soccer tournament and so is Kenya.
One of the indicators, Kenya has two players abroad playing in quality leagues, Dennis Oliech in France and the son of former Kenyan international, Wanyama, Macdonald Mariga in Inter Milan, Italy.
As for Tanzania, except for Ulimwengu who may soon be joining a top flight German club, Hamburg, we continue to post our players in nothing, but nondescript leagues.
No wonder members of our foreign legion have failed to bring the difference in Taifa Stars whenever our team clash against top flight sides in the continent.
The main reason for that is the level of their game is not very much different from that of our local players.
And the guys who are supposed to be involved in the thick of action by getting us at least somewhere, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), have meanwhile remained silent!
Here then is a suggestion. Now that clubs are busy signing new players for the next season, it is an opportune time for insisting on the clubs about the need to establish soccer academies.
The TFF should refrain from begging the clubs and instead, they should make it mandatory if the clubs want to take part in the premier league next season.
Secondly, it would not be out of the way for the TFF to make mandatory for premier league clubs, beginning say two years from today, to get not less than five players say out of eight registered players from juvenile clubs.
It is also time the federation started giving the youth national soccer team more international friendly matches as suggested by Poulsen.
That is the only way of building up a more reliable future national soccer team.
By Attilio Tagalile
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