EDITORIAL: Let team win Mainland Premier League on MERIT

It is that time of the year again when the most followed sport in the country, soccer, roars into life.

At the end of the 2017/18 Mainland Premier League season, which kicks off today with six matches on the cards at different stadia, champions will be crowned, while losers will be left to nurse the pains of playing second fiddle.

The league features 16 teams. Whichever side snatch then title will secure a ticket to represent the country in the Africa Champions League.

That said, it is imperative to remind all and sundry of the need to allow a smooth season.

A season that is free from match fixing, violence and diabolical boardroom decisions.

It is inherent in human nature that competition creates excitement but at times, it leads others into plotting unorthodox means to succeed. For starters, biased match officiating has been a challenge in football across the world, although it is well pronounced here in Africa.

On numerous occasions, referees have been left to get away with murder after literally deciding for themselves who has to win and who has to lose.

Given that their decisions are said to be final, they sometimes take it upon themselves to award teams of their choice some undeserved victories.

Now that the battle for the country’s soccer supremacy starts, one hopes that sanity will prevail and the best team of the season will be allowed to win it.

Africa and Tanzania, in particular, has not been able to compete effectively on the global stage in football simply because our referees have been deciding match results. As a result, mediocre teams are left winning matches they do not deserve to.

On the domestic scene, some teams that have been promoted to the Premiership after benefitting from biased officiating have never had prolonged lives in the top-flight league.

Therefore, it is high time that our referees allowed football to be the winner and help the country develop sporting talent.