AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) said after the current league season, they will conduct a workshop to train managers of all active playing venues in the country, on how to safeguard their facilities.
This comes following postponement of some league matches due to poor state of pitches in different parts of the country especially during rain seasons.
Giving his reaction on the development recently was the federation’s Competition Director Salum Madadi, who declared that after this season, they will run a workshop targeting managers of all stadiums countrywide.
“As TFF, we are ready to train them (stadium managers) on basic skills about maintenance of their facilities and teach them the required period to take before the next maintenance is made.
“We are all eager to see our football growing to upper levels but that can never be achieved if we let our players play on bad pitches because what I believe is that when you train on the poor facility, you cannot expect to perform well on a good arena,” Madadi said.
He then lauded the federation’s club licensing committee for being on the front line to enforce the policy on the clubs, saying if it will be effectively applied, then the issue of bad pitches will be a thing of the past.
“The committee closed some of the venues hosting top flight due to lack of required standards to stage high profile games and in such doing, owners of the venues are now aware on what they ought to do to keep them in good condition,” he said.
He continued: “I think mindset of those people who own playing facilities should change such that they need to know that it is their responsibility to maintain their arenas all the time including making sure that drainage systems are working properly to avoid waterlogging.”
Madadi then gave an example of the Nelson Mandela Stadium located in Sumbawanga, which is set to host the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) final that nobody dared to take care of the venue for the past 35 years.
“Time is here to rehabilitate all our grounds by totally removing the old grass and replace it with the new ones capable to last for the next six years or so,” he narrated.
On his part, CCM Kirumba Stadium Manager Jonathan Mkumba said gate collections are low in comparison with the money required to maintain the venues.
“What I think should be done to facelift playing facilities in the country is that TFF should seek financial assistance from either FIFA or CAF to specifically be used to renovate the playing grounds by involving owners of such facilities,” he said.
