Independent Premier League Board solution to matchday costs

The world football governing body (FIFA) convened the meeting between the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) and the federation's stakeholders, particularly the clubs that are the biggest participants in daily football activities.

The topics were about efficiency in running the football and what should be done to change the structure and enable each side to deal with its responsibilities, have a broad understanding, and finally develop methods to develop its area.

For a country like England, development has reached the level that even referees have their association which operates a company dealing with the development of the profession, interests, and training.

That means England's Football Association (FA) is more concerned with development programs, policies, regulations, and cases concerning the problems that arise in the running of the league and other aspects of day-to-day operations.

That is why if a coach commits a mistake, the FA is accused instead of the federation accusing the coach and then letting its committee judge him.

There is an independent body that can even identify the fault of the accuser, even though the latter is very careful and does not have a problem.

And that is where the league supervision began getting out of the hands of the country's football associations.

At the end of the 1990/91 football season, a proposal was submitted for the establishment of the Premier League in England which would be independent from the FA.

All 18 clubs that were participating in the First Division League agreed to the proposal and later the FA showed their agreement which included its publication of the guide to developing football.

The clubs signed the agreement of the founding members in July 1991 and that was the beginning of the English Premier League (EPL), which ended as an independent entity that operates without interference from the FA.

This means the EPL is free to design its rules that will benefit the clubs and make the league the best in the world, attracting all stakeholders including investors, sponsors, and foreign footballers.

In England, an individual cannot lock himself in and make his rules without involving the representatives of the clubs.

An individual can hardly sign sponsorship contracts for the Premier League when the league owners are there, and sign advertising rights contracts when the football owners are there.

In other words, the rules that govern the operation of the league and the issues of the income distribution are formulated by the league owners based on the circumstances of the time, such as the availability of stadiums and their costs to benefit all parties.

Sponsorship contracts/television broadcast rights are discussed in detail with the league owners (clubs) and are not presented cunningly.

Those involved and the costs of the match must be mentioned in the regulations that have been discussed widely and at length with the parties instead of a group of people who are not responsible for the clubs but are responsible for another entity that does not affect the league's operations.

Where there are problems, the clubs stick together to ensure that justice is done because if one club is aggrieved and no action is taken against the matter, such a problem could face other clubs, therefore, there is great attention to ensure that justice is done for all.

With the current structure of football operations in Tanzania, the complaints that the referees are pressured into biased refereeing cannot end because the officials work under TFF, not clubs.

When there is a strong body that manages the league, the blame will move to the referees that either have been bribed or they hardly know the rules.

Issues about income distribution especially the issues of match expenses which, as the days go by, are increasingly troubling TFF and Premier League Board (TPLB) officials. The clubs are as well silent because they are becoming part of the problem.

Stakeholders feel that there is a problem but the leaders of all parties have gone silent.

Since clubs' leaders see that they are not to be blamed, they become part of the problem and since other parties see that the perpetrators are participating, they do not see a reason for addressing the issue.

If TPLB was a true representative of clubs and is responsible for the latter, such baseless complaints would be reduced.

The body would come up with proposals at the end of every season, distribute them to the clubs, and later discuss them in working sessions before being approved by the general meeting.

It would have what it takes to deal with such setbacks and serve clubs. The outfits would have the power to face it and fight it in terms of league management and other issues.

It was strange that Simba SC CEO at the time Barbara Gonzalez was prevented from accessing the VIP section of Dar es Salaam's Benjamin Mkapa Stadium by TPLB officials when Simba SC faced Yanga in a league tie hosted by the former.

In South Africa, for instance, the Premier League allows clubs to prevent players from turning out for their respective countries' national teams on non-FIFA dates.

South African soccer big gun Kaizer Chiefs sought the postponement of its league game due to the COVID-19 crisis.

The country's Premier League governing body refused to postpone the match despite several Kaizer Chiefs players being found to be infected.

On that day, the referees went to the stadium as usual but they found the doors closed and the security guards did not allow anyone to enter and the match eventually did not take place. No action was taken against Kaizer Chiefs, alias 'Amakhosi'.

The freedom has indeed exceeded the standards but that shows how strong the clubs are in ensuring that the procedure is observed instead of waiting for the federation to make a mistake the same way the federation did in the Premier League tie between prominent clubs, Simba SC and Yanga.

Therefore, the only remedy that can reduce the suspicions over the swindling of revenues, is the clubs ought to take charge of the league and ensure that they participate in making regulations that will benefit them.

The current tendency by some outfits to disrespect the TPLB will come to an end because the clubs will know that TPLB is their body and if they do not listen to their advice, its leaders will be replaced by competent officials that will be responsible for the clubs.

In countries that boast lots of success in football, development came after there was a division of responsibilities. The TFF should be involved in the development and provision of policies and vision. 

Mainland Tanzania Premier League should be run by the clubs and the referees should have an independent body.