Govt hails TFF-kit supplier deal  

DAR ES SALAAM: THE government has hailed the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) for signing a five-year kit deal for the national football teams with Sandaland Fashion Wear worth 3bn/-

Speaking at the signing ceremony held in Dar es Salaam on Monday evening, the Minister for Culture, Arts and Sports, Damas Ndumbaro described the move as a catalyst for the development of the country’s football.

“Another milestone has been stamped in the football industry courtesy of this deal and it is the first time for us to experience a big thing of this nature.

“As a government, we will continue to be at the centre of scaling up sports in the country, and to achieve this, we demand cooperation from different stakeholders because together, we can go far,” Ndumbaro said.

“It is good to see that TFF has signed this contract with a local firm and this is what the state always preaches on trusting and working with the home-based companies,” he said.

He then challenged Sandaland to spread its wings by securing similar deals with other national teams outside the country as part of promoting its brand while assuring that the government will be there to give them a helping hand to achieve that goal.

Moreover, the minister acknowledged Taifa Stars for earning the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals ticket disclosing that the achievement has been made possible by the current administration under President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

“We now need to be regular participants of the AFCON finals as a gateway to make it to the World Cup finals and I am sure one day, we will reach that far,” he said.

On his part, the federation’s President Wallace Karia commended the cooperation they received from the government while vowing to respect the sealed deal.

He added: “The kits to be produced will be for all national football teams including the Beach Soccer team which is also doing well in international competitions.”

Again, Karia disclosed that previously, they used to purchase kits for national teams but under the deal, they will be receiving them free of charge plus being paid by Sandaland.

While on his part, the Fair Competition Commission (FCC) Director William Erio said they will give no room to those who produce, distribute, and sell counterfeit jerseys.

“We will work together with TFF and Sandaland to make sure that those who duplicate jerseys are not given a chance to flourish because doing that is against the law of the country,” he notified.

One of Sandaland Fashion Wear’s Directors Yusuph Omary pledged to produce high-quality kit to go along with the status of national teams.