Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
17 December 2011
TANZANIA Football Federation (TFF) President, Leodegar Tenga has castigated the performance shown by the Mainland team, Kilimanjaro Stars at the just ended CECAFA Senior Challenge Cup in Dar es Salaam.
The former Taifa Stars captain also revealed that his federation has no regulations in place to punish indisciplined national team players, the fact that saw embattled Haruna Moshi and Gedfrey Taita being expelled from the team, but no further action was taken against them for their indiscipline act while in camp.
Kilimanjaro Stars struggled and managed to scrape to the semi-finals of the regional tournament but found the going tough against eventual champions Uganda Cranes, when they succumbed to a heart breaking 1-3 defeat after 120 minutes.
Giving his assessment of the Mainland’s side performance in the tournament, Tenga told reporters yesterday that the players lacked stamina, a fact that needs to be worked out if the team is to make any tangible success in the future.
“The players lacked stamina they could only afford the first opening 45 minutes, thereafter they lose steam and find themselves completely tired, something which has to be checked very serious,” he lamented.
He said lack of stamina is not only a problem for Kilimanjaro Stars but to the national team players as well, citing a 2014 World Cup preliminary qualifier second leg encounter against Chad in Dar es Salaam, saying the players lost endurance very early.
Tenga failed to come to terms why should the players lack stamina while they were taking part in the Mainland Premier League before featuring in Challenge Cup. He promised to sit together with the national team coaches and the top flight league coaches to address the situation because he believes that the problem starts from club level.
He also counselled the national team coaches to get away with the notion that the team must camp for a long time for better results, saying the formula is outdated instead they should strive at having the best performance.
“They must face the challenge of having a team in camp for a week or two in which they should prepare it for better results,” he said. He cited examples of the rest of the teams which he said did not have much time in camp as the players were taking part in their respective leagues.
He also defended the appointment of Charles Boniface Mkwasa and Jamhuri Kihwelo to train Kilimanjaro Stars, saying they both have good records in women and youth national teams.
He commended them for taking stern discipline measures against unruly players, Haruna Moshi and Godfrey Taita, adding that the TFF was planning to set regulations to punish wayward players while serving national teams.
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