What achievement in sports without minding the future?

By Editor

Editorial Cartoon

Most of our soccer players lead miserable lives after enjoying years of relative glory featuring for their clubs or the national team.

A big number of those who have “retired” from the profession end up in such pathetic shape that one is left wondering what really happened to them, particularly for those who chanced to earn a handsome amount of money thanks to their skills and popularity.


The situation is much like a syndrome as more of these soccer players relish comfortable lives but end up in ignominy. As if they don’t have examples to learn from, the trend runs on and on: a player shines today after only a few years plunges into abject poverty.

The predominant argument is that the situation would have been much better had the players been better placed in terms of education and professional training, as they would then become more enlightened on what to do for their own future good.

But, alas, many merely “stumble” into sports and have no cushion to fall on to one their time in sports is over.

With many having been hard hit by this syndrome, it is high time those now at the peak of their careers to learn from history and shape up. Players should appreciate the importance of quality education and training of whatever kind so that, even when the worst comes to the worst, they have alternative means of making both ends meet.

In this connection, sports clubs should appreciate the need to insure their players as well as remit the players’ monthly contributions to social security or pension funds.

Granted, participation in sports in Tanzania was mostly regarded as little more than a hobby, but things have since so vastly changed that we have many professionals – which points to the way people should act and behave.

In the particular respect of soccer, players must remember there is hardly any serious sporting life beyond 35 years of age.

The Tanzania Football Federation should therefore make ensure that soccer clubs have good enough accounting systems to ensure that players get whatever is legally due to them and have their contributions to pension funds, etc., remitted without fail.

In deed, some players finally make it as coaches, but even these are not comfortable enough financially to lead decent lives after retiring from active soccer.

It’s embarrassing for retired soccer star to degenerate into a street beggar, which is why everyone ought to invest in careful planning for the future.

Few of the stars of today boast reliable “guardians” willing or ready to help build for them strong financial foundations to guarantee them enjoyable post-career lives, which amplifies the need for individual players to secure their own lives by having bank and social security fund accounts, etc.

One does not have to collect hefty amounts of money in a short period to succeed in this. It will take time and a lot of sacrifice, but it must be done.
And we have some role models in the likes of Leodegar Tenga, Mohamed Salim, Zamoyoni Mogella, Abdallah Kibaden and Charles Boniface Mkwasa. These should light the path to glory for their colleagues – and why not? 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN