Ajib Salum clinch TPBC boxing
title
By Joyce Macha
The upcoming young boxer Ajib Salum clinched the National Super
Bantam weight title after beating Saidi Chaku on technical knock out in the
ninth round of the 10 round professional bout at Opium Club Karibu Hotel.
Addiktiv Productions under license of Tanzania Professional Boxing Commission
(TPBC) Chaku was stopped to fight after repeatedly committing serious offences
by punching his opponent below the belt line. The bout referee, Lucas Msomba had
to stop the bout in the 9th round after Chaku failed to honour the regulation.
In another bout held at the same venue, Saidi Yazidu out punched Ramadhani Simba
in the under card bout of the middleweight. In another fight Ramadhani Miyeyusho
defeated Hemed Yahya in a welterweight friendly encounter at professional bout
held at Texas Inn, Dar es Salaam. The 8 round bout was under TPBC with Tip Top
Ramadhani coming in as the main sponsor.
Kili Stars cry for attention
By Burton Brown
Kilimanjaro Stars players pointed to the weakness and lack of patriotism within
the interim committee of the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) as the main
reasons behind their disastrous performance in the just ended Senior Challenge
Cup in Ethiopia.
Kili Stars, the Tanzania Mainland Soccer team, lost all their four matches in
Addis Ababa making the worst ever record since Tanzania began taking part in the
events about four decades ago.
Defender Hassan Bwaza said the team did not make any training prior to the Addis
Ababa trip nor did they have an official from the soccer body (TFF) to accompany
the team in Ethiopia.
“We were orphans there, no one to support us hence demoralizing the players’
winning spirit,” he said.
The Under 17 national team player, Bwaza said besides lack of managerial and
motivational supports from TFF, biased refereeing also affected the team’s
general performance.
Kili Stars lost 2-4 to Zanzibar, 0-2 to Burundi, 0-2 to Ethiopia before ending
with humiliating 1-5 punishment from Rwanda.
TFF opens doors to people without
higher education
By Express Reporter
The General Meeting on the constitutional amendments of Tanzania Football
Federation has sanctioned any candidates irrespective of his educational
qualification to contest for posts in the soccer body lifting the restriction
that only those with higher education would be eligible for participating in the
soccer governing bodies.
The changes were announced in the TFF General meeting held on Monday at Golden
Tulip Hotel in Dar es Salaam.
Under the new constitution, any one capable of reading and writing in Kiswahili
which is the national language of Tanzania spoken by all Tanzanians is eligible
to contest.
The changes, according to the new constitution, will not consider certificates,
diplomas and degrees as the principal criteria for assurance that a candidate is
fluent in Kiswahili that can allow a sportsman to vie for the posts in the
Federation.
It was discovered during the General Meeting that the majority of delegates from
upcountry had Ordinary Level Secondary School Certificates, which was accepted
by Regional Football Associations as minimum standard of education to qualify as
a candidate for the post in the soccer bodies.
Other agendas of the meeting included the controversial position of the
Secretary General of TFF, which it was agreed he should be under the employment
terms of the director.
TFF given ultimatum to pay
CECAFA debt
By Burton Brown
Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has been given five days to settle US$ 10,000
it owes to the Council of East and Central African Football Association (CECAFA)
or to face stern measures from the Council.
The Secretary General, Nicholas Musonye said if TFF failed to settle the debt by
today, the newly formed body would be asking for troubles from the regional
soccer body.
“We have been too polite to Tanzania over the delay, now it is time to take
strong measures if the soccer body does not sort out the issue within agreed
time,” he said.
According to Musonye, If Tanzania fails to pay US$10,000 (Tsh 11m), there is
possibility that the country might be barred from participating in events backed
by CECAFA including Kagame Cup which Tanzania will host early next year.
TFF failed to send an official in Addis Ababa where the East and Central African
Senior Challenge Cup took place. The failure, according to Musonye was an act of
indiscipline shown by the then TFF management under its ousted interim
President, Muhidini Ndolanga.
However, the last minute rescue from the Zanzibar soccer body, ZFA who paid the
fee for Tanzania, enabled the Mainland soccer team, Kilimanjaro Stars to take
part in the event.
Huwel gives Rover a final try
By Joyce Macha
In what seems as campaign to revive the mastery of Land Rovers in Tanzanian
motor sports scene, the Iringa based driver, Ahmed Huwel will start a test of
his V8 powered Rover for the African Rally Championship in February, 2005.
The most powerful Land Rover in scene at present, the car has never managed to
finish any of the four rallies attempted.
However, Huwel said he was giving the car its final test to the Tanzanian
edition of Africa Rally Championship to see if it could withstand the speed
pressure of the international event.
“I have made a thoroughly rectification of all its common problems and It has
responded well when I tested it over the weekend,’ he said.
Huwel one of the fastest five drivers in Tanzania, Huwel had to abandon the Land
Rover since May this year and bought Land Cruiser from Ian Duncan, the Kenyan
champion.
Ever since Tanzania won a ticket to stage Africa’s first international rally,
the importation of the best cars for the championship became norm in the past
two months.
Besides Huwel who has opted for the Rover, most of the drivers told The Express
Subaru and Mitsubishi Evos were the hottest cars in the market at present.
Mkapa set to open stadium
construction
By Burton Brown
The President of the United Republic of Tanzania Benjamin Mkapa will grace the
launch of construction work of the ultra modern stadium scheduled to start early
January, 2005.
The launch was earlier set to take place in September, 2004 before shifting to
January next year.
The Minister for Labour, Youth Development and Sports, Professor Juma Kapuya
said Mkapa would lay a foundation stone to officiate the starts of the
construction work.
According to Minister Kapuya, there is a possibility that the 60,000-seater
stadium will be complete before October, 15 when President Mkapa ends his
presidential term.
“Initially the construction work of the stadium has already started with
clearing of the site and building of the workers quarters. But the work will
start in full swing after the official opening,” he said.
The Chinese firm, M/S Beijing Construction Engineering won the tender to
construct the stadium at a cost of Tsh.54bn.
In his conclusion, Kapuya promised the Chinese firm a good support from the
government to enable it work efficiently in Tanzania.
Defeat of Ndolanga in TFF
Presidency chase
Patriotism aroma beats
corruption stench
By Burton Brown
Muhidini Ahmed Ndolanga, the president of Tanzania Football Federation has lost
his post in the just ended general election. The defeat brought joy and relief
to the soccer fans who could not believe that Ndolanga’s paws have surrendered a
presidency prey at last.
Dar es Salaam residents said they expect the new President Leodgar Tenga to
bring changes and development in Tanzanian soccer after many decades of massive
crumble down.
“He is a symbol of Tanzania’ highest achievement in soccer in 1980. He was a
player when Tanzania qualified for the first time to play in the finals of
Africa Cup of Nations in Nigeria and did a commendable job for his clubs, Young
Africans and Pan African,” said Salum Kabunda also a former national team star.
Dar es Salaam soccer fans said they were banking on the new TFF management
committee for the much-sought changes. “Having new bloods like the Vice
Chairman, Crescentius Magori, Jamal Baysar together with experienced Aden Rage
promises to bring changes that Ndolanga and his mates failed in their long
reign,” said Josephat Tungaraza a resident of Keko.
The Express team survey in Dar es Salaam took the ouster of Ndolanga as the
victory of patriotism aroma over corruption stench of the past leadership.
What The Express peaked as news was the fall of Ndolanga, rather than the
election of Tenga, whom people favoured for the presidency.
Leodgar won the TFF Presidency after scooping 52 votes against 35 polled for
Michael Wambura in the final.
Ealier Wambura led with 37 votes followed by Tenga with 31 and Ndolanga ended
with the race only with 20 votes. Two candidates, Wambura and Tenga had to go to
the final after none of the candidates managed to get over 50 per cent of the
total votes.
The Vice Presidency post went to Crescentious Magori while Ismail Rage was the
Vice President on the Clubs side.
Routes for Zanzibar
rally under planning
By Express Correspondent, Zanzibar
The organisers of the inaugural National Rally Championship, to be held for the
first time in Zanzibar, have started studying possible routes, which will be
used by drivers.
The major spots to be included in the route through 500 km, are all the
historical and tourist attractions in the island.
Among the spot to be included is Stone Town where House of Wonder (Bait el Ajab)
is found. Zanzibar golden beaches and natural forests in the heart of the island
are among the major spots to be included, claimed Mussa Tharia, the person in
charge.
According to Tharia, the budget has been estimated at Tsh. 14m. “The budget can
be reduced if residents come forward for co-sponsorship. Major issues in the
budget are transportation of cars, drivers and service crew and the their
accommodation in the Isles,” he pointed out.
Tharia said motor rally could be the cheapest sport to sponsor if the majority
offer their assistance in some of the items. “The expenses seems voluminous as
we are organising the rally for the first time,” he
said. Zanzibar will be the seventh region to own motor rally club after Dar es
Salaam, Morogoro, Arusha, Iringa, Tanga and Kilimanjaro.