ZFA should keep its house in order

Fielding of an overage player, Said Mussa, whose passport shows he was born in April 1989, but who was deliberately registered with a birth date of 1993 for the championship, is a serious offence the soccer association cannot run away from.

The unconvincing oversight would not have happened had the ZFA officials been keen enough to exercise their duties in the manner expected of them.

The subsequent decision to strip-off match points severely devastated the team to crash out of the championship unceremoniously, has crippled efforts of the budding players who wholeheartedly sweated for victory.

It’s a mistake that also once happened with Tanzania Football Federation officials during the 2007 Under-20 continental qualifiers.

However, what brings a controversy is how ZFA has treated the officials who were behind the scandal.

The body’s executive committee met last Sunday only to come out with accusations directed to the Tanzania Football Federation, TFF, while the oversight was caused by known officials who ignored to countercheck birthdates of the players in the contingent.

ZFA officials who accompanied the team to Eritrea had spent in excess of three weeks in training camp set up in Cairo ahead of the CECAFA tourney.

It is unbelievable and comes as a surprise to many, how on earth these ZFA officials could not countercheck the passports of all players before boarding the flight to Asmara.

It was an Eritrean immigration official who gave the first alert as the Zanzibar contingent arrived in Asmara but ZAF officials decided to downplay the timely warning.

The whole scandal that shocked soccer pundits in Zanzibar is squared on how credible and competent are the ZFA officials.

The fact they are now throwing the burden of accusations on their Mainland counterparts while they were personally responsible for the scam, is a clear sign of gross inefficiency, lack of commitment and laiser-faire attitude in organisation of football activities in the Isles.

How on earth can officials behind the scam expect to escape from being held responsible for the scam when there exists evidence of coaches and players who have been heavily penalised for minor offences in Zanzibar football activities.

We believe it is wrong and unfair to ban a coach like Salum Bausi for life while ZFA officials who committed the mistake in broad daylight remain unscathed.

This is a very serious scandal that has not only tarnished the image of Zanzibar, but also that of the entire United Republic of Tanzania.

It is, indeed, a drawback that demoralises the efforts taken by the Zanzibar Government in promotion of soccer, but all the efforts are thrown overboard at the expense of just few incompetent officials within the ZFA.

As ZFA prepares for its general election in December, a reminder is served for the Zanzibar soccer fans to reorganise and clean the house by electing competent and committed leaders for the soccer body.