Time football running got more disciplined

An announcement by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) that teams that fail to comply with club licensing regulations will not be allowed to feature in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League next season is apt.

As per the club licensing regulations, each team is required to have training and match grounds, strong youth teams (U-17 and U-20) as well as qualified personnel.

It is evident that a number of teams in the country lack one or two criteria as per TFF and world football governing body (Fifa).

In Tanzania, TFF introduced the club licensing not less than five years ago and clubs were required to implement one of the criteria in each season.

If the TFF announcement is anything to go with, then the deadline for all clubs to meet all criteria has been expired and what is required now is simply to apply the rules.

The next Mainland Tanzania League season will start in mid-August, at least two months from now.

We challenge TFF to abide by the regulations, and we urge clubs to play their part and meet all the set criteria. It is time all football stakeholders upheld the laid down laws, regulations and rules, and seriously abide by them.

Mid-August is just around the corner and club leaders have to make TFF’s work easy by abiding by the regulations.

This is coming at a very interesting time in the history of the country’s footballing. From next season each club will pocket not less than Sh40 million per month following the huge sponsorship from Azam Television Limited. No more excuses of lack of money.

It is high time for the clubs to comply with the club licensing regulations. As for TFF, it must stand by the laid down rules if discipline it to dominate the way football matters are run in Tanzania.

It is time for change as the value of the Mainland Premier League takes a new upward turn. Let’s maintain the momentum.

Stop caning in schools

A recent incident about a Standard Seven pupil (name withheld), who was severely punished by his teacher caused outrage on social media among members of the public.

It prompted the government to make interventions and call upon the school board to take appropriate action.

The pupil, who studies at DYCCC Yemen School in Dar es Salaam, is said to have shown signs of being stubborn in another claim of destruction of the school’s property.

The incident that occurred on Saturday also sparked outrage on social media with parents and guardians showing concerns of the punishment to which the student was subjected.

School corporal punishment in the country has been blamed for a number of years and no concrete action has been taken to abolish it.

It should be remembered that this is not the first incident to have occurred in the country.

Sometime back in Kagera Region a teacher, who punished his pupil to death for allegedly stealing the purse of one of his teachers, was sentenced to death by a court.

It is high time those rude teachers, who senselessly punish our school boys and girls, were expelled from teaching.

Such teachers inflict severe pain on our pupils and students, who sometimes sustain permanent disability or lose their lives.

Time caning was stopped!