Zanzibar league ‘a waste of time’

Dar es Salaam. Zanzibar clubs will not be eligible to feature in the CAF-organised competitions, the Isles football governing body (ZFA) has said.

ZFA president Ravia Idarous Faina said yesterday that the on-going Zanzibar Premier League was neither recognised by the Isles association nor the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) and that renders it illegitimate.

Zanzibar football has been embroiled in protracted wrangles that prompted some leaders to seek intervention from the court of law against the Fifa rules.

The court ordered formation of a committee that will oversee ZFA affairs, however, according to Fifa’s laid down rules; the committee has no mandate to run football affairs.

Faina said the on-going league is a waste of energy and time because the clubs that will finish at the top will not be allowed to compete in CAF competitions.

“It is the ZFA only that is mandated to run the Zanzibar Premier League. What is going on here is a waste of time and energy and the committee knows that clearly,” the president said via telephone.

“It should be known that court decisions mean nothing in football, but in order to end this fiasco, we had a reconciliation meeting where we agreed on several issues. Unfortunately, the committee has contravened the agreement by assuming all duties of the association.

“The ZFA is the only body representing football matters in Zanzibar, so any ruling of the committee won’t be recognised at both the national and international levels. “The committee has put our football on a knife-edge. Our teams will certainly miss out on the African competitions. It is very bad for Zanzibar.”

He added: “The league is, after all, not inclusive of all clubs that ought to be in the premiership. A club like Malindi has been side-lined even though they deserve to be competing.” Recently, TFF president Jamal Malinzi expressed his support for the ZFA leadership, refusing to recognise the committee.