TPLB envisions prosperous league campaign

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) said the underway Premier League season is going to be much better in comparison with its predecessor.

This was disclosed in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday by the board’s Information Officer Karim Boimanda who insisted that until this stage, they are amazed by the performances shown by all competing teams.

“If you take a closer look at the matches played so far, you can easily see why our league is ranked in fifth place among the list of strong leagues in Africa.

“There is a high-level competition accompanied by entertaining football display by the teams, including big coverage of the league itself by media outlets.

“In short, I have to say that we have started well the campaign and this is an indication that we are going to have the best season than the last one,” Boimanda said.

Commenting on the efficiency of refereeing, he said that from the played league matches so far, improvements have been seen though some questionable scenarios need to be addressed.

“Nowadays, depending entirely on the eyes of referees is a thing of the past, which is why developed countries are using Video Assistant Referee (VAR) to facilitate their efficiency.

“For us, we are not yet there, that is why individual errors are seen regularly because they (referees) do not have a second chance to take an overview of the initial decision if it is awkward.

“But we will continue to administer refreshing courses to make them updated and there are good decisions they make during matches that we should applaud them, not necessarily just looking at their weaknesses,” he said.

Also, Boimanda seized the platform to remind clubs to renovate their hosting venues during this period as the league is paused to pave the way for the FIFA international break.

“So far, we have tasked JKT Tanzania to renovate the CCM Kambarage Stadium in Shinyanga which they use to host league games as in their previous match, it lacked the quality to stage a premier league match.

“Renovating venues should be an ongoing process and not a thing that should be done once… during this break, clubs should concentrate on upgrading their arenas,” he remarked.