Tanzania: Yanga Step Up Ngasa Pursuit

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

13 May 2011

MAINLAND Premier Soccer League champions, Yanga, have stepped up their pursuit of Azam FC mercurial forward, Mrisho Ngasa, in which they have put a new offer of 50m/- to recruit the diminutive player.

Yanga Chairman, Lloyd Nchunga, said on Friday Azam FC officials have the right to either accept or refuse the offer, adding that Yanga will be open to negotiations should the latter request for a bigger amount.

Ngasa was recruited by Azam FC from Yanga last year for a record transfer fee of 58m/- and signed a three-year contract that will keep him to the ice cream makers until next year.

“We sent Azam the new offer and they have the right to either accept or reject it. We heard from the local media that Ngasa was willing to return back to Yanga and we will welcome him, if he really is ready to do so,” said Nchunga.

Nchunga said it is better that Azam FC reached agreement with Yanga on Ngasa’s return to the latter, if he wanted to go back to the Jangwani Street outfit, otherwise Azam FC will be subjecting the player to ‘forced labour’.

Yanga’s offer, however, is likely to meet plenty of obstacles as Azam FC officials on Friday stated that they are not ready to let Ngasa return to his former club as he is still contracted to Azam until next year.

Azam FC chairman Said Mohammed told journalists on Friday that Ngasa had a thorough meeting with the club officials, in which he was clearly told the implications involved in breaching the contract.

“He clearly understood details entailed in the contract and has since resolved to honor it candidly,” said Mohammed.

However, Mohammed said Azam will receive offers on Ngasa and any other players at the club, but said decision to let the player go or otherwise will be made by the team’s board. Clarifying at the same meeting, Ngasa said: “I’m here to stay.

Only on Thursday we had a lengthy meeting with my team officials and everything was resolved. The rest is now history.”

Meanwhile, Nchunga said Yanga will play an international friendly match against English Premier League’s Birmingham City FC, when the latter tours Tanzania in July this year, on conditions of not being tied to the contract signed by the visitors’ hosts, Simba SC, and the company that organizes the trip, Sports and Legal (S&L) Ltd.

Nchunga said the contract requires Yanga and Simba to raise about US dollars 1.6m (over 2bn/-) during the Birmingham City FC trip, a task that could hardly be realized.

“We feel that the contract will put us in trouble, should we sign it, because we can not raise the said amount of money during the visitors’ trip”, he said.

The Yanga boss said he had earlier turned down the request by Simba’s Chairman, Ismail Aden Rage, to sign the contract because he (Nchunga) opposed the involvement of a Tanzanian soccer agent, whose name was withheld, in the matter.

“We believe Birmingham City FC do not have stars that could attract gigantic crowd at the National Stadium and help to raise the needed cash,” he said.

Birmingham City FC, popularly known as Blues, are expected to embark on a four-day tour of the country in July and, although the details of the trip are yet to be finalized, Blues’ first team coach, Andy Watson, and Chief Medical Officer, Ian McGuiness, were in Dar es Salaam mid this week to inspect facilities including accommodation, hospital and the National Stadium, which will host the friendly matches.

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