|
Flawed league regulations to blame for chaos
2005-09-24 08:14:08
By Editor
The unexpected withdrawal of Mji Mpwapwa from the Vodacom Premier League with just four rounds of play to go is most unfortunate.
Things are not made any better by reports that Songea-based Majimaji are also contemplating pulling out of the championship on financial grounds.
Mji’s withdrawal has severely dented the title hopes of a number of clubs and it is not surprising that some are considering taking ”drastic” action to remedy the situation. This sets the stage for a potentially chaotic end to the league.
Simba Vice-Chairman Evans Aveva said on Thursday that the club’s leadership would meet on Monday to discuss the course of action to be followed after the defending champions lost six points following Mji’s walkout.
Simba had an outside chance of holding on to their title, but Mji’s withdrawal has all but dashed the Msimbazi Street outfit’s hopes of being crowned champions again.
There are suggestions that Mji’s decision is more than meets the eye and that it is part of an elaborate conspiracy to undermine some teams and brighten other clubs’ prospects as the league draws to a close.
With the stakes being as high as they are, this argument cannot be entirely dismissed as utter nonsense.
But it is common knowledge that Mji are indeed strapped for cash and their decision to pull out on the grounds that they cannot honour their remaining matches is justifiable.
It will also be recalled that this is not the first time that a team have pulled out of the top flight league.
However, we think that it is time the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) reviewed premier league regulations to avert such crises in the future.
One of the regulations that needs to be revised is the one that provides for a team’s entire results to expunged from the records in the event of their pulling out of the league.
We are saying this because it is easy for this provision to be abused and used to sabotage some teams.
Take the example of, say, three teams pulling out with just one round left to play after each played 29 games.
Such a scenario means that a team that beat all the three clubs stand to lose a staggering 18 points.
This means that the team will lose out even if they were leading by ten points going into the final round.
It is also not enough to fine and relegate teams pulling out because most of them take the decision after they have been relegated any way.
Such teams, especially those withdrawing in the final stages, should be banned from the premiership for at least five years.
TFF should seriously consider amending the regulations ahead of the 2006 league.
Bitter lessons have been learnt which must never be repeated if we hope to see Tanzanian soccer develop from its current lowly status.
|
