Tanzania: TFF to Decide On Yanga’s Joshua Transfer Saga

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

Japheth Kazenga

15 July 2011

THE Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) Legal, Ethics and Players Committee is expected to decide the fate of the former Ruvu Shooting Stars defender, Oscar Joshua, whose recent transfer to Mainland champions, Yanga, sparked a tug of war between the two teams.

TFF Information Officer, Boniface Wambura, said the decision to table the matter before the committee followed an objection presented by Ruvu Shooting Stars, who claimed that Joshua’s transfer procedures were not completed and he was, therefore, ineligible to play for Yanga.

Ruvu Shooting Stars were recently heard in the local media complaining of Yanga’s decision to field Joshua in the Kagame Castle Cup, which came to a close in Dar es Salaam last weekend with Yanga emerging champions.

The Coast Region-based side went as far as including the left back’s name in the list of players it has registered for the forthcoming Mainland Premier League and submitted to TFF.

Wambura said Ruvu Shooting Stars wrote TFF on June 14 this year, approving the transfer of Joshua to Yanga, a move that gave the federation green light to allow Yanga to use the player in the Kagame Castle Cup as the body felt the two teams have already settled everything pertaining to the player’s transfer.

“Ruvu’s letter, which was written by the team’s Secretary General, was duly signed and also contained the team’s official stamp,” said Wambura. “We (TFF) then received another letter from Ruvu on June 30 claiming that Yanga did not complete transfer procedure for Joshua and the player should be declared ineligible for the latter,” he added.

Wambura noted that Ruvu’s second letter had no date and team’s official stamp but was written by the same person, the club’s Secretary General. “The federation will therefore table the matter before the Legal, Ethics and Players Committee, which will discuss both letters from Ruvu Shooting Stars and ultimately decide Joshua’s fate,” he said.

Joshua was one of Yanga’s newly recruited players, whose contribution played major role in the team’s triumph in the just ended Kagame Castle Cup, in which the towering, muscular left back successfully filled the void left by the absence of dependable first choice left back, Stephano Mwasika, who is still nursing a foot injury. Joshua also has had a successful stint with Toto African of Mwanza before joining Ruvu Shooting Stars.

Ruvu Shooting Stars’ objection to the player’s move to Yanga, apparently, came up after he had already played two matches with his new team in the Kagame Castle Cup, the group B’s opening match against Sudan’s El Mereikh and the second against Somalia’s Elman FC.

Meanwhile Zambian striker Felix Sunzu jetted in Dar es Salaam yesterday and announced that he will sign a one year contract with giants Simba. Sunzu, who had so far been the Msimbazi Street side’s target since last year, failed to arrive in the city on Wednesday as earlier planned to finalize transfer procedures after missing a plane that could have transported him from Nigeria to the city.

Simba recently got down to a serious search for a reliable goal getter with a view to ending the squad’s profligacy, in front of opponents’ goals, which has troubled it throughout its campaign in domestic, regional and continental competitions.

In another development, Yanga have proposed to use the National Stadium for the Mainland Premier League’s new season scheduled to start next month. Wambura said the Jangwani Street side submitted its proposal to TFF yesterday through the club’s Information Officer, Louis Sendeu.

The TFF official said African Lyon is so far the only top flight side that has yet to submit its proposed venue for the league.

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