Football stakeholders push for insurance cover for players

The director of legal affairs and marketing at the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), Boniface Wambura, and said players’ rights organisations should strengthen their advocacy by ensuring that no player is registered without guaranteed access to medical treatment and healthcare services.

He also proposed the establishment of a special health fund for footballers to assist players who suffer serious injuries, particularly those playing for financially disadvantaged clubs.

“There is a need to establish a special health fund for players that can assist those who suffer serious injuries, especially at clubs with limited financial capacity,” said Wambura.

National Sports Council (NSC) secretary general Neema Msitha said insurance was a basic right for all athletes and called for increased awareness among players and sports organisations.

She said the government and sports authorities should intensify education on the importance of insurance, while health, contractual and players’ rights education should start at the grassroots level.

“Many people enter football with the dream of playing without understanding the risks they may face when they suffer injuries,” she said.

Msitha said some players sign contracts without asking whether they would be provided with insurance cover.

“It is only when problems arise that they realise they should have protected their rights from the beginning,” she said.

Abeid Kasabalala, Assistant Secretary at Spata, an organisation that advocates for players’ rights, said major clubs should lead by example by ensuring their players and families have adequate health protection. “This will help smaller clubs understand the importance of investing in players’ health. A healthy player is the foundation of a successful team,” he said.

Clubs seek better insurance packages

KMC FC chief executive officer Daniel Madenyeka said clubs should work with insurance companies and hospitals to develop affordable packages covering both routine medical care and major procedures, including surgery.

He said some insurance policies currently offered to players were inadequate to cover serious injuries, forcing athletes to use their personal funds when they are injured.

“At present, some insurance policies provided to players cannot even cover serious injuries, forcing many players to continue using their own money when they are injured,” said Madenyeka. Fountain Gate FC chief executive officer Kelvin Herry said failure to provide prompt medical treatment could affect both a player’s career and the club’s performance.

“When a player is injured and fails to receive immediate treatment, the club loses its strength on the pitch. But there are also serious consequences for the player’s life after football, particularly when an injury prevents them from continuing their career,” he said. Sports lawyer Monday Iddy said players themselves must take greater responsibility for protecting their rights, although football authorities and players’ organisations should provide support.  “The club is not affected in the same way as the player. Therefore, players themselves must fight for their rights,” he said. He urged players to take complaints to bodies such as the TFF and Spata so that the relevant authorities can intervene and ensure clubs comply with sports regulations.

Players speak out

Former footballer Gerald Mdamu said players needed more education on insurance because many were still unaware of its importance.

He said a football career could end in a matter of minutes because of an injury, but a player’s life continued long after leaving the pitch. “Protecting players’ health should be mandatory for every club that wants to be seen as modern and one that values its human resources,” he said. Mdamu, who played for Mwadui FC and Police Tanzania FC as a striker, is among players whose careers were affected by the absence of insurance after he was involved in a road accident.

“Help players get their rights, but also educate them because many do not understand the importance of insurance. Their main concern is being registered and playing, but there is life beyond football,” he said.

Former Simba player Dua Said said conditions had changed compared with previous years when insurance coverage was largely unavailable, leaving some players to abandon football because of injuries.

“Players today have access to many essential services and there are laws to protect them. In our time, many careers were lost simply because of injuries. Today, having insurance makes it easier to get assistance,” he said.

He urged authorities to ensure sports laws and regulations were fully implemented to guarantee players adequate protection. Problems do not knock before arriving. You can suffer an injury when you have no money, but insurance can save you,” he said.

Football veteran Abdallah Kibadeni said a player’s health should always come before performance. “A player’s health comes before his level of performance.

 Therefore, I do not expect to hear a club saying it does not provide insurance because it is something that should be mandatory,” he said.