NI Wakati Wa Jeshi Kusema Yatosha Kwa Vipigo Wanavyopokea

Mbeya City wakishangilia goli la kwanza

Wakishangilia bao la pili (Picha zote za Mbeyayetu blog_

                        

Mashabiki wa Mbeya City waliamua kubeba jeneza na kulizungusha uwanjani kama ishara ya kuizika rasmi Tanzania Prisons baada ya kuiangushia kipigo cha mabao mawili kwa sifuri. Mpira ni burudani, na hii ilikuwa mojawapo ya burudani za mashabiki wa Mbeya City. Lakini ukiangalia kwa undani unaona hili ya kubeba jeneza ni utani uliobeba ujumbe wa ukweli ndani yake. Ukiwa na kichwa kikubwa kisha mtani wako akakutania kwa kukuita ‘bichwa’ utauchukulia kama ni ukweli au utani au vyote, yaani ni utani japo ni ukweli?

Prisons kubebewa jeneza na timu iliyopanda daraja msimu huu utabaki kuwa utani lakini kuna haja ya jeshi kutambua kuwa licha ya kuwa ni utani kuna ukweli ndani yake.  Ishara ya kubebewa jeneza kwenda kuzikwa iliendana na matokeo ya uwanjani na kuendeleza wimbi la matokeo mabovu kwa timu za jeshi msimu huu na msimu uliopita. 

Timu za jeshi zinapumulia mkiani kwenye msimamo wa ligi huku tatu zikivuta mkia kwa kufuatana kama mnyororo wa baiskeli. Prisons, Mgambo na Oljoro zimeambulia ushindi kwenye mechi moja moja tu kati ya kumi na moja zilizocheza mpaka sasa. Yaani hali ni mbaya kiasi kwamba ukichukua alama za Prisons, Mgambo na Oljoro jumla yake bado ni alama tatu pungufu kwa alama za Azam na Mbeya City. Jumla ya alama za timu hizi tatu za majeshi hazitoshi hata kuzipa nafasi ya nne. Ukijumlisha  alama zao zote Pamoja na mabao ya kufunga ukasema iwe timu moja basi kwa msimamo wa sasa timu hiyo itaangukia nafasi ya tano.

Prisons wanathibitisha ile hadithi ya askari magereza naye ni mfungwa tu kwa jinsi wanavyofungwa mechi baada ya mechi. Hawa maafande wa magereza wamegeuzwa wafungwa kwa kufungwa mechi tano kati ya 11 walizocheza hadi sasa. Hadi wana halmashauri wa Mbeya City wamewageuza ngazi ya kukwea kileleni na kuwadhihaki kwa kutembeza jeneza kama ishara ya mazishi yao.

Kwa upande wa pili ukiwaangalia Mgambo Shooting jinsi wanavyorukaruka na kuchanganyana uwanjani unaweza kuhisi Juma Nature alikuwa akiwatazama wakati anaandika mashairi  ya wimbo wake wa ‘ Mgambo’. Jezi zao za pundamilia, rangi nyeusi na nyeupe, mara moja zinakukumbusha zile filamu za makala za pundamilia wanavyoliwa na mamba wakati wa kuvuka mto Mara kati ya Tanzania na Kenya . Safu yao ya ulinzi inavuja kuliko nyumba  za nyasi  zilizochoka wakiruhusu mabao 21 kwenye mechi 11 na kuongoza kwa ukarimu. 

Amissi Tambwe wa Simba anaongoza ufungaji wa mabao (amefikiwa na Hamisi Kiiza wa Yanga) kwa sababu ya ukarimu wa safu ya Ulinzi ya Mgambo. Mabao manne ya Tambwe dhidi ya Mgambo yananikumbusha tena zile filamu za makala za mamba wanaofaidika na mlo wa bure kutoka kwa pundamilia na nyumbu wanaovuka Masai Mara kiasi cha kubaki na hifadhi ya msimu ujao kwa kula kidogo kidogo tu ile mizoga. Ni hadithi sawa na ya Tambwe, aliwapiga Mgambo bao nne kisha akaanza kujazilizia kidogo kidogo na bado anaongoza msimamo wa ufungaji. Mgambo Shooting walikuwa kama pundamilia kwake ilhali yeye akigeuka wale mamba wa Mto Mara.

Safu ya yao ya ushambuliaji ni kama ipo kwenye mgomo baridi kwa kufunga mabao matatu tu kwenye michezo kumi na moja! Bila shaka washambuliaji wake hawajui waliposahau viatu vyao vya ufungaji. Kwa hakika Mgambo wanazidi kulishusha hadhi jina la Mgambo ambalo tayari si kati ya majina yanayoheshimika hasa huko mtaani. Badala ya kututhibitishia kuwa Mgambo nao wamo wanaonekana kututhibishia zile hadithi zetu za uswahilini kuhusu Mgambo.

JKT Oljoro nao hali ni mbaya wakizidi kuwa rojorojo kwa  kupokea vipigo mara sita katika mechi 11. Hali ni ile ile kwa Ruvu Stars ambao inaonekana nyota yao pekee ni ushindi katika mechi nne na vipigo saba katika mechi 11. Nini kinasababisha matokeo mabovu kwa timu za majeshi? Mbona timu za majeshi zinafanya vizuri kwenye nchi nyingine? Rwanda kuna APR ambayo panga pangua haikosi tatu bora, Kenya kuna Ulinzi, Zambia wana Green Buffaloes, Morocco wana FAS Rabat ambazo ubingwa wa ligi haukaki kwa miaka zaidi ya mitatu, nini kinasumbua timu zetu za majeshi?

Nyerere's Sporting Legacy Still Unrivalled

A Man For All Seasons

Feet not that big but tell that to his successors!

                                         

It may seem unfair to other leaders who have had a more passionate love for sports but Nyerere’s shoes remain too big even in sports fourteen years after his demise and over twenty five years after he stepped down from the presidency. A quick check on Tanzanian sports’ annals would reveal that the nation scaled its highest sports’ heights during Nyerere’s regime. For a statesman perceived by many not to have been so much into sports it seems ironic that Tanzania little success internationally  was achieved under his reign.

During his regime, the state played a very big role in funding sports activities nationwide. The state had a big hand in almost every game and little wonder the country could afford to send a large contingent to continental and global events such as the Olympics, The Commonwealth games and the All African Games. The considerable large funding enabled Tanzania to participate in different disciplines as compared with other regimes whereby our teams are often composed of boxers, runners and footballers. For instance, the nation’s first ever medal in international sports, was won by a javelin contestant in 1965, during the All Africa Games in Brazzaville, Congo, by Theresia Dismas.

The founding father may arguably not have been very passionate about sports but it is during his era that Tanzanian schools were exposed to a wide variety of games, from football to javelin. The nation’s won its first international medal through javelin but ironically you will be hard pressed to find someone from the young generation who has ever participated in a javelin competition at any level. When was the last time the nation sent a javelin participant to an international event? Once again, the founding father scores big against his successors.

As the nation’s football fortunes keep on dwindling, the older generation has nostalgia memories of when Taifa Stars secured qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 1980, Abuja, Nigeria during his regime. It was the country first and last appearance in the continental crème de la crème football tournament. Surprisingly though he did not publicly identify with the either, Simba and Yanga fared better in continental club championships in his reign.  Again it was under his regime that Simba reached the semi-final stage of the African club championship today’s equivalent of the African Champions league in 1974.  Simba were denied a final appearance by Mehalla El Kubra of Egypt having won the first leg in Dar only to succumb to defeat in the notorious Egyptian atmosphere. To date it remains a milestone our clubs are yet to achieve again.

The famous Yanga battle with Ghanaian football powerhouse, Asante Kotoko that caught the attention of the entire continent also happened during the first statesman era.  The 1969 epic battle was decided by a toss of the coin after two 1-1 stalemates in Dar and Ghana. Interestingly, the two met in the subsequent year, 1970, where Yanga only lost after a three-match marathon that involved a third match being played in a neutral ground in Ethiopia after the first two ended in a stalemate. Those were golden years when our clubs could match the best that the continent could offer.

Although Tanzania is football-crazy, the nation's most memorable moments on the international scene came from athletics during Nyerere's regime. Filbert Bayi, Suleiman Nyambui and Juma Ikangaa were household names in the international athletics scenes in the 70’s and 80’s where they routinely finished in the medals bracket at global events. Filbert Bayi went on to set up a world record that lasted seven years.  Tanzania has won only two Olympic medals, won by the duo of Nyambui and Bayi in the 1980 Olympics held in Moscow, these were the sunset years of Mwalimu’s reign. Thirty two years later, the feat is yet to be equaled. 1980, is the greatest Tanzanian sports year having won her first and last Olympics medals and making a debut appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations. Our success pinnacle, our nation’s sports zenith. Perhaps that was Nyerere’s final goodbye to the sporting fraternity. His signature exit, a year that extended his shoes length that remain too big for his successors twenty eight years after he stepped down and fourteen years since his untimely death.

Match Stats: Ruvu Shooting Vs Simba

Round 7, Sat, 05,2013
National Stadium,Dar








                                       Ruvu Shooting 1-1 Simba
                                       (Sadi Dilunga 8', Amissi Tambwe 51' Pt)
                                      Centre Referee Mohamed Theophil

The Ironic Case Of Kigoma Football Doldrums.

Amri Kiemba, Kigoma 'Diaspora' and Talent Export

                             

Kigoma region has not had a club a premier league club for close to 11 years. Mbanga was the last club from the region to grace the Tanzania Premier league way back in 2002. Mbanga enjoyed premier league status for a single season before relegation came calling. It seems they had it so rough in their debut season that they have never been heard of again after relegation. 

In the past, Kigoma Railways used to be a tough nut to crack in the premier league but as soon as Public corporation pulled away from investing in sports, the financial and football fortunes of the club took a sharp knock never to recover again. Many Kigoma football well-wishers tried to revive it but it was too late too little. Kigoma cannot be blamed for the extinction of that club; similar stories of extinction of public corporation-funded clubs are replicated in other regions. It was a state policy failure that never put up a mechanism or laid grounds for the continuation of public corporation owned-clubs once the government shied away. Simply put, the government hurriedly pulled off from these clubs. 

Though nearly all clubs never recovered from the government decision to cut back on funding sports team, other regions seems to have moved on after the emergence of other community or private sponsored clubs. Unfortunately Kigoma seems never to have recovered having failed to promote a premier league club for over a decade. The irony is not lost on football followers and stakeholders that Kigoma despite its premier league doldrums has maintained a steady supply of talent to the national teams as well as the top clubs in the league.

If we break down players’ origin composition of Simba, Yanga and Taifa Stars, an impressive percentage has their roots in Kigoma. If one attempts compiling a list of Tanzania’s past and present football greats, Kigoma would certainly dominate the list. Many footballers, both past and present can trace their roots back to Kigoma. They were either born in Kigoma or have parents who hail from the region. Some have darkly and cynically hinted that Kigoma steady supply of footballers who make it to the top of the Tanzanian football pyramid is a result of bordering the obscenely talent-rich Democratic Republic of Congo. 

The empty and unfounded reasoning has resulted in some players who hail from that region being branded refugees or their citizenship being questioned.  For example, a week before the Dar Derby in the early 2000’s, Said Maulid ‘SMG’ citizenship was questioned simply because he hails from Kigoma.

In the history of Tanzania football no Kigoma based club has ever won the league title or even come close to achieving the status in spite of the region’s rich history in supplying talented footballers. In terms of premier league Kigoma remains in the doldrums, clubs from the region are struggling to make an impression even at the inter-regional level. So what are the factors behind Kigoma’s football woes? Is Kigoma an exceptional case or a familiar case of regional football woes seen that are replicated all over the country?  Though it is hard to exhaust all the reasons, next week I will try to point out the salient reasons that have caused Kigoma’s football doldrums for many years despite its undoubted status as the bedrock of Tanzanian football. What should Kigoma do? Can they attempt another ‘leka dutigite’ of sort to  to tap into the rich talent pool in Kigoma?

Upofu wa Simba na Yanga, Ufanisi Uwanjani na Tuzo za Wanasoka Bora Tanzania

Japo tunahitaji kuwatuza wanamichezo wetu wanapofanya vizuri lakini bado sharti tuzo ziendane na vigezo stahili. Vigezo stahili ni vile vinavyo zingatia uwezo uwanjani, hatuhitaji vitu vya nje ya uwanja kuwa chachu ya kuwatuza wanamichezo Tanzania. Kwa nini tunashindwa kujifunza kwa waingereza tunaoshinda tukisema wanapiga 'kelele' licha ya kuwa wanapiga 'kelele' katika visiwa vyao na hawajatulazimisha kusoma magazeti yao na kuangalia mpira wao? Waingereza licha ya 'kelele' zao wanajali uvujaji jasho na shughuli ya mchezaji katika ugawaji wa tuzo zao, hawaangalii sana uzawa au uzalendo.Si ajabu kwa wageni kuchukua tuzo ya mwanasoka bora Uingereza kwa misimu mfululizo.

Hapa kwetu kuna tuzo mbalimbali lakini nyingi zimekuwa zikibagua wageni kwa misingi kuwa ni maalum kwa wanamichezo wazawa tu. Kuleta hoja ya utanzania kwenye michezo ni kuendeleza siasa kwenye mpira. Kwa nini mabao ya Kipre Tchetche yasimpe tuzo? Kwa nini uraia wake umtenge kwenye tuzo za wanasoka bora? Kwa nini tusiache ufanisi na utendaji uamue ugawaji wa tuzo uwanjani?

Tuzo za TASWA na tuzo nyingine zilizolenga promosheni za kibiashara zaidi zote zimeingia kwenye mkumbo wa kurusha jicho kwa Simba na Yanga tu. Mchezaji wa Kigeni anafunga mabao kumi nane lakini kwenye tuzo hayupo,mzawa anazifunga Simba na Yanga mabao mawili, anaingizwa kwenye orodha ya wanasoka bora...kweli tutafika? Ni rahisi kutamka kuwa hizi sio tuzo ni promosheni tu. 

Hivi inatusaidia nini tunapoamua kumpa tuzo ya mchezaji bora Kelvin Yondani na kumtenga Kipre Tchetche, Inasaidiaje kukuza mpira wetu? Bila kwenda mbali sana, jirani zetu wakenya licha ya kuwa na hisia kali za uzalendo labda kuliko sisi bado walimpa tuzo ya mchezaji bora mganda Danny Sserenkuma, ,mbona sisi tunaleta siasa kwenye mpira? Nani ana ujasiri wa kusimama na kutamka alimuona Themi Felix wa Kagera Sugar kwenye mechi zaidi ya nne kiasi cha kumweka mbele ya Didier Kavumbagu? Si kwamba Themi Felix aligonga vichwa vya habari kwa kuzifunga Simba na Yanga ndio maana anawekwa kwenye orodha?

Hivi akija mgeni wa soka la bongo asiyejua siasa za mpira wetu unawezaje kumuelezea kwa takwimu kwa nini Didier Kavumbagu na Kipre Tchetche hawamo kwenye orodha ya wanaowania uchezaji bora huku Yondani, Themi Felix, Kapombe na Niyonzima wakiwepo? Kwa nini uwezo uwanjani usiwe kigezo kikuu bila kuleta uzawa na siasa kwenye tuzo. 

Kama si kutafuta kura za mashabiki wa Simba na Yanga kufanikisha promosheni utaelezeaje Kiemba kuwemo kwenye orodha huku Tchetche akikosekana? Hizi tuzo zinaangalia uwezo kwenye ligi kuu ama timu ya taifa au vyote, tunatofautishaje vitu hivi? Kama ni ligi kuu, Kiwango alichokionesha Kiemba akiwa Simba kwa vigezo vipi kimezidi kiwango cha Tchetche na Kavumbagu? Kama unaangalia na timu ya Taifa, mbona Niyonzima anajumlishwa licha ya kuwa hakuna lolote alilofanya timu yake ya Taifa?Kapombe alifanya kipi Simba ambacho Mbuyu Twite hakufanya ? Au ni lazima Simba ikitoa wachezaji wawili basi ili kuondoa kelele za Jangwani basi ni sharti Yanga nayo itoe wawili ili tuweze kuandika vichwa vya habari ' Simba na Yanga zatawala Tuzo' ?

Tuzo zetu ni muendelezo wa upofu wetu kwa Simba na Yanga. Tusipoandika Simba na Yanga gazeti haliuziki. TFF nao wanatangaza mapato ya mechi za Simba na Yanga tu. Waamuzi wanafungiwa kwa kuboronga mechi za Simba na Yanga tu. Tovuti ya ligi kuu inaweka takwimu kamili za mechi za Simba na Yanga tu. Kupata vikosi vya timu nyingine ni mpaka zicheze dhidi ya Simba na Yanga tu. Wadhamini wa ligi kuu wanatoa 'updates' kwa mechi za Simba na Yanga tu.