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PCCB confirms there was Afcon funds embezzlement

Tanzania U-17 soccer team, the Serengeti Boys, enter the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam for the opening match against Nigeria. Tanzania lost 4-3 PHOTO | FILE

What you need to know:

  • Tanzania last year hosted the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations tourney, ostensibly using Sh1bn given by President Magufuli

Dar es Salaam. The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) has said preliminary investigations show that there was embezzlement of Sh3.8 billion meant to finance the U-17 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) championship last year.

PCCB has been interrogating various football stakeholders, an exercise which was extended yesterday to officials of the ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports in the national capital Dodoma.

The PCCB director general, Brigadier General John Mbungo, confirmed to The Citizen that they cannot implicate anyone in wrongdoing untill the investicgations are over.

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Mbungo said the investigations are taking long as the championship involved assorted areas and persons. Therefore, they need to be sure before announcing the final results.

“So far, there are signs of misuse of the funds, and our institution is taking the investigation task most seriously to ensure that our findings are accurate and in full,” said Mbungo.

He explained that the methodology of the investigation is taking time due to the fact that the competition had so many departments manned by different people.

“We have finished interrogating the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF). We have also collected various documents that have to be verified. Some of them are from banks, so it is not an easy job; it is a very difficult exercise, and we need to go about it most carefully, but also thoroughly. I call upon everyone to be calm as we do our best,” he said.

Tanzania last year hosted Africa’s U-17 Cup of Nations (Afcon) and apart from Sh1 billion given by President Magufuli, other stakeholders chipped in, bringing the final sum to Sh3. 8 billion.

The competition that featured eight national teams was staged at the National Stadium and the Azam Complex in Dar from April 14 to 28 last year.

Tanzania’s Under 1-17 team - the Serengeti Boys - was placed in Group A along with teams from Nigeria, Angola and Uganda.

The Group B comprised national teams from Guinea, Cameroon, Morocco and Senegal.

However, Serengeti Boys did not perform well in the competition that saw Cameroon winning the Championship.

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