Tanzanian players urged to play for top clubs in Europe

Dar es Salaam. The Director of Sports Development in the country, Ally Mayay, has stated that the only way for Tanzanian football players to excel in the world of football is to feature in European top leagues, including the English Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and the Spanish La Liga.

Mayay, a former national football team (Taifa Stars) player and a football pundit, made the comment after Tanzania’s elimination from the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Ivory Coast.

He pointed out that many West and North African countries are considered football powerhouses on the continent because a significant number of their players feature in competitive European leagues.

According to Mayay, Tanzanian players in Europe have a chance to excel and transform the country’s football by applying the competitiveness of European leagues to Afcon and World Cup qualifiers.

The former Young Africans (Yanga) player said the above two prestigious competitions are important to transform African football and as well bring honours to African players featuring in European leagues.

He challenged Tanzanian players to work hard and get registered with big clubs featuring in top European leagues and if possible to at least feature in competitive leagues such as the Turkish Premier League, Belgian Pro League, and others.

By doing so, Mayay explained, there will likely be a great chance for Tanzanian players to gain international exposure and experience as well.

"We have a huge number of footballing talents, to harness these talents and elevate the national team to a higher level, we need to see more Tanzanian players competing in top European leagues," Mayay said.

“To start with, we managed to score a goal in the Afcon finals in which our players put up impressive performances. High-intensity exposure and the competitive environment of these European leagues can surely develop their footballing skills and take the country to the next level of development," he added.

Mayay gave the example of Cape Verde who managed to qualify for the knockout stage of the competition by stunning the so-called African giants.

"If you analyse Cape Verde’s national team that played against Tanzania a few years ago, you can see how that team has achieved success simply because most of their players feature in foreign leagues.

“Tanzania can achieve similarly as we currently have a host of players featuring in foreign leagues. However, they need to aim at playing for big clubs featuring in Europe’s top leagues as well," he insisted further. Mayay also urged the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) to continue developing talents for the future use of the national team in international competitions.

“There is a big lesson to learn from Ivory Coast and we need to get prepared for the upcoming competitions. These are the African Nations Championship (CHAN) featuring players who do not compete outside Africa and the 2025 Afcon finals, which are to be staged in Morocco.

“Both competitions are vital for Tanzania’s football development, whereby preparations have to start from now onwards,” he said.