DAR ES SALAAM: FOOTBAL legends have called on clubs in the country to operate according to their budgets to avoid being slapped with transfer bans.
The call has been made following a statement issued on Tuesday by the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) unveiling five teams that have been suspended by FIFA from sealing transfer deals in the unfolding window.
The affected teams include the Premier League Champions, Young Africans, while others are Singida Fountain Gate FC, Tabora United, and Championship League sides Biashara United and FGA Tal- ents FC.
Speaking to the ‘Daily News’ yesterday, former Yanga player Bakari Malima remarked that it was high time for the clubs to run their activities in respect of their available budgets so as to avoid such penalties.
“For a club of Yanga caliber, this is an upset and embarrassment because they have been lately doing well in both domestic and international competitions, as such, being one of the victims of the transfer bans does not sound good.
“I think they should come up with a good plan to pay players as well as technical of- ficials who owe them, so that they should never be listed again among the teams that face transfer bans for allegedly failing to pay their former players.
Also read: https://dailynews.co.tz/fifa-tff-slap-tabora-united-with-transfer-ban/
“In other words, this is not healthy for the development of football in the country, and Yanga have been frequently banned by FIFA for the same offence, hence they need to change.
Malima added that the bans may paint a bad image, especially for foreign-based players, and insisted a solution should be found to ensure that such behaviour never reoccurs in the club.
He further reiterated that the tendency of the clubs to always think of signing big players from outside the country without properly assessing their budget is not admirable and should be stopped.
On his part, former Majimaji FC player, Abdul Ntila remarked that it is not an encouraging thing to see Tanzanian teams banned from conducting transfer deals just because of failing to pay their ex-players.
“We cherish that our league is among the best in Africa, a status that gives us confidence, but when you hear of this development, it does not provide a perfect image of what is going on in our clubs at all.
“I therefore would like to urge all our clubs to stick to their budget and pay their employees timely to avoid being penalized,” he said.
Earlier faced various FIFA transfer bans less than a month after falling foul of the world football governing body regulations as well for failure to settle outstanding salary and signing on fee to Zambian striker Lazarous Kambole.
