Israel Saria
An unidentified German firm has manufactured sports promotional equipments and merchandise that are on sale without the knowledge and permission of the Zanzibar Football Association (ZFA).
The merchandise bears a ZFA logo and each of the T-shirts has been tagged at Euro 60 in various shops in Europe.
Sales promotion campaigns advertised in one of the sports websites (name withheld) shows the merchandise with a price tag.
ZFA president Ali Ferej Tamim denied his body’s involvement in the commercial transaction.He said ZFA was aware of the dubious deal and had already communicated with the German Embassy in Tanzania.
“We have been informed of the sports promotional merchandise sales, but we have not been involved in the deal and the crackdown is underway,” said Tamim when interviewed. He said efforts were made to stop sales of the products bearing the ZFA logo.
“We want to know the firm which manufactured the promotional products and the local people behind the illegal transaction,” he said. While huge sales continue throughout Germany and elsewhere, ZFA coffers are very dry.
The soccer body has so far failed to raise funds to employ a secretary general as per recent constitutional changes.
Twice in the past the Zanzibar national soccer team visited Germany for training. In one of the trips, Zanzibar’s player Amour Aziz was banned by ZFA for not cooperating in one of the promotional campaigns involving a car dealer.
This is the second scandal to hit the ZFA leadership after openly admitting to have goofed premiership teams in a sponsorship contract with US-based Kajumulo World Soccer that never materialised.
ZFA was left at crossroads after the American firm failed to honour its pledge in a sponsorship contract concluded without documentation.
Mobile phone company Zantel, rescued the league sponsorship after Kajumulo World Soccer’s no-show in honouring the pledge.
Ever since ZFA leaders came to power two years ago, the body has been under strong criticism for poor administration of soccer affairs.
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