Karia to transform football infrastructure, promote youths

DAR ES SALAAM: TANZANIA Football Federation (TFF) President Wallace Karia, who was recently elected to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee, is committed to transforming football infrastructure and promoting youth development.

After his election at the CAF Headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, Karia stressed the importance of modern infrastructure, saying that one of his top priorities will be to ensure that Tanzania and the entire East African region have world-class facilities to support development of the game.

“We must invest in proper football infrastructure to match global standards. This will not only improve the quality of our leagues but also enhance development of our players,” Karia said.

Beyond infrastructure, Karia highlighted his commitment to youth football development, aiming to see more East African teams competing on the biggest stages, including the FIFA World Cup.

“We have immense talent in this region, and our goal is to nurture it effectively. We will work closely with member associations to ensure our youth teams qualify in major international tournaments,” he added.

Karia underscored the need for strong regional cooperation and called for more competitive tournaments across various age groups.

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He stressed that would provide a platform for young players to gain recognition and experience in high-level competition.

“A strong East Africa means a stronger Africa in football. We must create more tournaments to give our players regular opportunities to compete and grow,” he stated.

Meanwhile, CAF President Patrice Motsepe stated that Cameroon football legend Samuel Eto’o will play a significant role in African football for years to come, especially after being elected to the CAF Executive Committee.

Despite Eto’o’s controversial history in recent years, Motsepe expressed his support for the former Barcelona and Inter Milan star.

Eto’o was previously banned from attending both men and women’s international football events, due to ‘offensive behaviour’ during the 2024 Women’s U-20 World Cup in Colombia.

Additionally, he was suspended by CAF after becoming a brand ambassador for a betting company.

However, Eto’o’s ban was successfully appealed last week, allowing him to continue his work with CAF. Motsepe has urged the organisation and fans to move past Eto’o’s previous incidents.

“He (Eto’o) has now been elected as one of the leaders of African football and the most important thing is that we must support him,” Motsepe stated, according to The National Online Nigeria.

“Everyone at CAF must ensure that past incidents involving Eto’o remain in the past.

“Nothing that occurred previously should be held against him. I believe he has an important contribution to make. “Under Eto’o’s leadership, Cameroon will return to its glory days.”