Simba toddling in preps for
Ferroviario match
By Burton Brown
Tanzania’s flag bearers in Africa Club Championship, Simba SC are yet to show
seriousness in the tough mission against Ferroviario of Mozambique as The
Express found in the team’s recent matches in Dar es Salaam.
Simba opened the year 2005 with succession of defeats in a period of a week.
Simba players, mostly those who starred in the club’s spectacular performance of
the last year season, seemed fatigue and bothered to adhere the normal soccer
disciplines.
As witnessed in the last weekend match against Zambian side Red Arrows, all the
star players including Christopher Alex, Athumani Machupa and Shaaban Kissiga
came at the stadium in a hired transport late and had to change clothing at the
Stadium.
Simba lost 2-3 to the Zambians who seemed to take the match seriously contrary
to the Dar side.
Earlier Simba lost to Mtibwa Sugar 1-2 in the New Year special match played at
the National Stadium January 1, 2005.
In that friendly match, Simba fielded new players recruited for this season. The
new players, Haji Saidi, Salum Mpakala, Abas Kiwalabye, Nico Nyagawa, Nurdin
Msiga and Musa Hassan failed to outshine the much-determined Red Arrows players
from dominating the game.
In reaction to that, the team’s Acting Secretary General, Hassan Hassanol said
lack of seriousness in training let down his players in the double defeat and
warned that any player caught fooling with the training, he would not get his
monthly allowance.
FIA stewards for Tanzania
International rally
By Burton Brown
The Federation Internationale De l’ Automobile, (FIA), international motor rally
body, has appointed eight stewards to supervise Tanzania’s African Rally
Championship scheduled to be held in Dar es Salaam on February 12 and 13 this
year.
The FIA African Region Coordinator, Surinder Thatthi said in his message to the
Rally Commission of Tanzania that Ralph Behm, a South African national would
head the team of FIA officials.
Other members of the team include Dismas Kayibanda of Rwanda, Radovan Novak of
Czech and FIA Technical Delegate, Goricha from Kenya.
All officials are requested to contact directly the rally organising committee
as soon as possible in order to arrange for their travel necessary and obtain
the invitation letters for visa.
Meanwhile, the FIA Technical Delegates, Viren Goricha is due to arrive in Dar es
Salaam on Wednesday to inspect and certify cars eligible to compete in the
Tanzanian edition of African Rally Championship (ARC).
The Convenor of Rally Commission, Arif Ahmed said the inspection of the cars
would be held at Bakhressa Yard, Tazara on January 7 and 8.
The cars to be passed for the competition those classed in Group N (Homologated)
and SPC (Special purpose vehicles), but the latter do not score a point in the
African rally standards.
The opening rally for Africa this year’s event is expected to have participants
from Zambia, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Burundi, and the
hosts Tanzania.
U17 Coach vows to win Zimbabweans
hurdle
By Burton Brown
Tanzania Under 17 National team assistant head coach, Sylvester Masha has said
to win in his team’s match against Zimbabwe this Saturday will be the only
reward to the Tanzanians who contributed heavily to the team’s preparation.
The Tanzanian youth team, Serengeti Boys meet Zimbabwe this Saturday at the
National Stadium in the first match to seek a ticket to play in the finals to be
held later in Gambia.
He said Serengeti Boys owe Tanzanians heavily from their effective donations
they have offered to the team on top of countless well wishes they have been
pouring to the team.
He said the newly elected Management Committee of Tanzania Football Federation
(TFF) under Leodegar Tenga was close to the team in all material, moral and
financial support at their residential training camp at Karume Memorial Stadium.
“It is difficult to thank every one from the number of individuals and
organizations who contributed for the training camp, victory is the sweetest
reward to all of them,” he said.
Moreover, the head coach assured Tanzanians of the impressive performance this
Saturday saying his boys were all fit to deal a blow to the Zimbabwean ego.
Hassan Bwaza, the team captain also promised Tanzanians a clean victory in the
Saturday match and thanked the well wishers for their multitude donation.
No Dar Open this month, Dar
Gymkhana refutes
By Joyce Macha
DAR ES SALAAM Gymkhana Club Golf section has refused to host Dar es Salaam Open
Golf Championship at the end of this month at the club’s golf course.
Refuting news published in the local newspaper, the acting captain of the golf
section, Dereck Arnott said he was not aware of it as it was notified in one of
the newspapers this week.
“It is not possible to stage any tournament at this time when the course is on
the verge for repair following downpour that marred it,” he said.
An official with the club said the news of Dar Open startled the management of
Big Fish Advertisement who were said to be the sponsors of the tournament.
“Normally January is a low season in the golf calendar though in the past the
club used to stage Mapinduzi Cup on January 12. It was shocking to read about
having the presence of Dar Open this month,” said the source
Dar es Salaam Open Golf Championship is not a club event, it is a national golf
event affiliated to Tanzania Golf Union (TGU).
2004 was a banner year for The
Express in the sporting field.
By Express reporter
The paper’s incredible performance in sports reporting is second to none in
credibility.
The Express continued with its omnisportive system of coverage in which more
than ten different sports fill the two pages.
In July 2004 The Express took its first award in the Motor Rally coverage.
The paper took number one position in reporting, photography.
The Express did a commendable job in making the success of General Tyre Rally of
Tanzania, which earned the country a ticket to stage African Rally Championship
in February 2005.
But the most colourful achievement came in August and September this year.
The Express scooped four awards in Kili Media Reporting Excellence of this
year’s Kili RBA League.
Burton Brown won two awards in the basketball-reporting category in the period
ending August and September, while Mohamed Mambo won one award in photography
The fourth category The Express won in the basketball field was editorial
comments issued by the paper in August.
The Express has also lifetime achievements in cricket reporting. The paper is
one if the first stakeholders who massively contributed to the success of
Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA) to motivate the growth of the sport
nationwide.
In its motivational endeavour, The Express inaugurated the current success of
rugby, which is now taking a stronghold in Tanzanian sporting scene. The paper
played an important role in making Tanzania participate in the Super 16
championship, which would give Tanzania a ticket to play in the World Cup.
Otherwise other The Express domains like golf, boxing, lawn tennis, squash,
hockey, snooker and water sports like laser open and Tanzania catamaran sailing
events, continued to colour the paper’s Sports Pages for about twelve years now.
Iran trip of woman handball
team shelved
By Burton Brown
Tanzania women handball team will not travel to Iran where they were invited to
play a series of friendly matches against the home team.
The Secretary General has cancelled the Iran tour due to lack of time for
preparations. According to Tanzania Handball Association (TAHA); Sudi Omari TAHA
had to cancel the invitation as it gave a short notice to the players and the
body to send the team.
“We received the invitation late December last year, requesting the team to be
sent by January 18 this year. The time was too short to assemble the team and
train the players for the tournament,” he said.
According to Omari, most of the players who make the women handball national
side come from countryside and not based in Dar es Salaam.
“Most of the players who make the team come from Mbeya Prisons, JKT Buhemba and
Ruvu JKT. The places are far from Dar es Salaam and to take them away from their
work places need certain regulations. We regret to miss the trip since it could
open a good tie with the Gulf State,” he said.
Tanzania Women Handball Team had an impressive performance in the East African
handball competition and represented the region in African Handball Championship
held in Tunis, Tunisia, last year.
Had the team managed to go to Iran, it would have been the first trip for
Tanzanian handball team outside Africa for a friendly match.
Pemba schools to get table
tennis boost
By Boogie Juma
After recording a sky-high success in its inaugural programme at Kisutu Primary
School, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Table Tennis Association (TTTA) is braced for a
similar project in Pemba beginning January, 15
The project is billed as mending efforts to motivate the growth of the sport in
all Tanzanian regions in the Mainland and the Isles, which aims to have table
tennis a popular sport in all Tanzanian schools in the near future.
According to the Chairman of TTTA, Ian Shariff the inaugural project at Kisutu
Primary School assured TTTA of the quick success in other regions to follow
after Dar es Salaam.
He said in Dar es Salaam alone more than fifty pupils, boys and girls have
been enrolled in the training session and most of them have shown a remarkable
achievement in a short period.
According to Shariff TTTA has appointed the National Table Tennis Coach, Issa
Mtalaso to supervise the establishment of the training centres for the youth in
Pemba.
In another development, Shariff said TTTA will conduct a meeting with the
officials of Tanga Region Table Tennis Association (TRTTA) to establish a
training centre in the region so that the nation makes a proper use of the table
tennis facilities donated by China last year.
TFF continues to win patriots
By Joyce Macha
With a change in the leadership, funds have started pouring to the football
federation ushering hopes for a better future for Tanzania’s favourite sport. As
the newly elected TFF team under Leodegar Tenga continues to rejuvenate the
sense of patriotism among Tanzanian soccer enthusiasts, individuals and
organizations bank on the new committee to change the face of Tanzanian soccer.
More Tanzanians are now willing to help the national team materially and
financially.
Among the first beneficiaries were Tanzania Under17 National Youth Team,
Serengeti Boys, who received Tsh.2.5m from Tanzania National Parks Authority
(TANAPA) as a boost to the team ahead of their crucial match against Zimbabwe
this weekend.
In his statement after donating the money to the TFF President, Leodegar Tenga
on Monday, Tanapa Board Chairman, Emmanuel Balele said that his firm donated the
money after being impressed by the team performances against Rwanda and Zambia.
Balele presented the cheque to the TFF President in a short ceremony held at
Serengeti Stars Camp at Karume Memorial Stadium, Ilala.
Hopefully, Belele said he hoped the team to perform well in their Saturday match
and wished the players good luck.
Serengeti Stars will play their aggregate match at Barbour Fields in Zimbabwe on
January 23 where the winners will get a ticket to play in the finals to be held
in Gambia from May 7 to 21, next year.