IT was good to see the 20-team Mainland Premier
League season that kicked off on Wednesday bringing back the usual
thrills and skill showdown. As anticipated, surprises didn’t leave the
league openers and the most notable was Singida United’s shocking 1-0
home loss to debutants Biashara United at Namfua Stadium.
But the major focus on the season’s opening kicks off was in Dar es Salaam, where crowd pullers Simba entertained die-hards Tanzanian Prisons and sealed a slim 1-0 win after a hard fight.
From what we saw in the openers staged in all six venues, tactical game is likely to dominate the new season as players from all 12 teams involved in the openers showed great ability and they are likely to be better when they play together for a long time.
The beginning of the season is promising, but there are several things that need immediate tackling to enable the league to be attractive and beneficial to clubs, players and the governing football bodies.
First, the football governing body (TFF), should find a main sponsor as soon as possible or else most of the teams will not manage to suit the 20-team league. TFF through its various organs should promote the league and all matches in order to improve gate collections, which most of the clubs need to run their operations.
To make the league run on a professional basis, refereeing is one of the areas that must be well executed in a league where the level of professionalism is swelling in terms of competitiveness, game plans and overall management.
But what could go as a promising season can easily be hurt by poor refereeing, which, in some past incidents, brought calamity to the entire football fraternity. There were several incidents that suggest this season’s refereeing has been weak and is not fit for purpose.
The incident happened during the Dar es Salaam derby between Simba and Young Africans in 2016, which was among the worst incidents of poor refereeing. It led at the end to the destruction of seats at the National Stadium after protests against Young Africans’ controversial goal and unjust red card.
It should be put into consideration that poor refereeing has already tarnished the country’s football image - and as of today, Tanzanian referees are rarely given a chance to officiate big matches outside the country.
We end up wishing a successful, foolproof and entertaining league season.
But the major focus on the season’s opening kicks off was in Dar es Salaam, where crowd pullers Simba entertained die-hards Tanzanian Prisons and sealed a slim 1-0 win after a hard fight.
From what we saw in the openers staged in all six venues, tactical game is likely to dominate the new season as players from all 12 teams involved in the openers showed great ability and they are likely to be better when they play together for a long time.
The beginning of the season is promising, but there are several things that need immediate tackling to enable the league to be attractive and beneficial to clubs, players and the governing football bodies.
First, the football governing body (TFF), should find a main sponsor as soon as possible or else most of the teams will not manage to suit the 20-team league. TFF through its various organs should promote the league and all matches in order to improve gate collections, which most of the clubs need to run their operations.
To make the league run on a professional basis, refereeing is one of the areas that must be well executed in a league where the level of professionalism is swelling in terms of competitiveness, game plans and overall management.
But what could go as a promising season can easily be hurt by poor refereeing, which, in some past incidents, brought calamity to the entire football fraternity. There were several incidents that suggest this season’s refereeing has been weak and is not fit for purpose.
The incident happened during the Dar es Salaam derby between Simba and Young Africans in 2016, which was among the worst incidents of poor refereeing. It led at the end to the destruction of seats at the National Stadium after protests against Young Africans’ controversial goal and unjust red card.
It should be put into consideration that poor refereeing has already tarnished the country’s football image - and as of today, Tanzanian referees are rarely given a chance to officiate big matches outside the country.
We end up wishing a successful, foolproof and entertaining league season.
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