Author: BENJAMIN BEN
AfricaPress-Tanzania: A TOTAL of 14 goals have been scored in the match day one of the 2020/21 Mainland Premier League season, which saw all 18 teams feeling the glimpse of the new campaign.
The top flight kicked off last Sunday and out of the nine games which unfolded in various venues across the country for the two opening days, KMC topped the scoring chart after hitting Mbeya City 4-0 at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Monday.
It was the heavy victory for the Kinondoni Municipal Council owned club as they mercilessly punished the visitors to momentarily seize command of the league as they sit at the summit of the table with three points with superior goal difference.
After the game, KMC passionate fans could not help but chanted songs in praise of their team as they have prospect that it has potential to excel in the league this season.
However, aside from KMC, another team which managed to score more goals in the opening encounters was defending champions Simba, which laboured to beat new comers Ihefu FC 2-1.
The game played at Sokoine Memorial Stadium in Mbeya was tough. Prior to the encounter majority believed that it would be a slippery ride for the champions but the hosts displayed brave football worth watching.
The only match which ended in 1-1 draw was between Young Africans against Tanzania Prisons at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Arguably, it was the most difficult match of all the nine games played to open the season according to the nature of the two teams with the guest team proving hard to break.
Sharing a point was somehow fair for the two sides basing on the tense and gruelling battle, which saw the visitors finishing the match with ten men on the battlefield.
A duel involving Mtibwa Sugar and Ruvu Shooting produced no scores at the end of the regulation period, while five venues produced a 1-0 victory each, starting at the Majaliwa Stadium in Ruangwa, Lindi where Namungo beat Coastal Union 1-0.
At the Karume Stadium in Musoma, Biashara United stamped a 1-0 win over debutants Gwambina FC whilst Dodoma FC pocketed first top flight league points courtesy of a 1-0 triumph against Mwadui FC.
At the Kaitaba Stadium in Bukoba, host Kagera Sugar lost 1-0 to JKT Tanzania, whereas the last match on Monday at Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam witnessed hosts Azam winning 1-0 over Polisi Tanzania.
Meanwhile, the Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) has predicted that this season’s top flight will be competitive than ever before with the arrival of foreign players from 18 countries.
This was narrated yesterday by the board’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Almas Kasongo, who said from what they have seen in the opening matches, the league will be tight.
“You can judge from the way all 18 teams have played, teams worked really hard to grind out victories. “Also, the signings which teams have made clearly shows that they have something to offer this season. All these give us the picture that the league will be eye-catching,” said Kasongo.
He also pointed out that the board conducted good preparations to ensure that all the three leagues they run are smoothly managed throughout the season.
“We conducted several seminars to improve on areas which seemed to have shortfalls last season, like training referees, match commissioners, amending some of the regulations governing the league among others,” he said.
Elaborating more on the new signings, Kasongo noted that most of the players who have been signed to trade in the league are skillful and capable to make an impact in the competition.
“With the signing of foreign players from 18 countries, automatically gives us confidence that we are heading towards the right direction and this is something to be proud of,” he said.
He continued: “We just need to have constructive ideas to ensure that we drive the league further and as the board, we are set to make sure that we stamp remarkable success.”
He then urged teams and fans to always remember that football is a fair game regardless whether they win, lose or draw.
Again, the TPLB boss disclosed that by yesterday, they had not received any complaints from the clubs concerning poor refereeing from the opening matches of the season.
Furthermore, Kasongo said in general, from opinions made by the public, they have observed that people are eager to see a fruitful competition this season.
Pundits have already described this season as a difficult one which will produce unexpected outcomes hence no need to write off any team which forms the package of 18 competitive sides.
