AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA Premier League Board (TPLB) said from next season, all clubs will be compelled to adhere to club licensing for them to be eligible to feature in league competitions.
This was disclosed in Mbeya over the weekend by the board’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Almas Kasongo during the start of their campaign to visit all teams which trade in the Mainland Premier League, First Division League (FDL) and Second Division League (SDL) as a step forward to asses their progress.
On the day, the TPLB team met with leaders of Mbeya City FC, Tanzania Prisons, Tukuyu Stars, Boma FC and Mbeya Kwanza.
“By next season, we will ensure that teams follow all necessary measures for them to acquire league licence and we have taken this opportunity to remind teams to have competent individuals in their administration sections who have ability to positively contribute towards the smooth running of their teams,” he said.
Among others, the TPLB boss pointed out that they will ensure that teams have qualified administrators, financial controllers, lawyers as well as competent Media Officers who have all the desired qualities to take charge of such responsibilities.
“During the trip, we will also focus on the infrastructure of the teams, meet with their leaders to find out from them what they think should be done so as to have a competitive contest next season,” he said.
He added that the trip is of very important to them bearing in mind that meeting with team leaders will equip the board many things which are vital to be used to make the upcoming league season more interesting and competitive.
“You may recall that previously, we had no chance to visit these teams and see their playing grounds and offices as such, we are going to benefit a lot from the planned tours across the country,” said him.
He continued that through the visits, they will also be able to learn the challenges faced by the concerned teams and how best to tackle them before the next season begins.
Moreover, the TPLB boss lamented that by meeting the team leaders, they will have an opportunity to say which laws governing the smooth running of football need to be upgraded so as to avoid confusion when being implemented.
In a related development, Kasongo lauded teams trading in the top flight league for their great performances shown despite going through many challenges which have been emerging.
“Let me applaud all the league teams for their patience to continue fighting hard on the battlefield even though we experienced fixture problems but they kept on fulfilling their assignments,” he said.
In his reaction, Secretary of Boma FC Mpoki Mwaifunga lauded the TPLB for seeing it essential to visit them directly from their own places a thing he described as very important to them.
“Previously, we used to be called to Dar es Salaam to meet with them but now, they are the ones coming here to asses the situation at hand which is remarkable ahead of the next season,” he disclosed.
However, from next season, teams which parade in the top flight league will be trimmed to 16 from the current 20 teams meaning that four teams will directly farewell the contest while the fate of other two teams will be decided through playoffs.
