DAR ES SALAAM: THE Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) has pledged to deliver a fairer Mainland Premier League fixture list through a new digital scheduling system designed to eliminate longstanding complaints over match planning, reduce clubs’ travel costs and ease fixture congestion.
TFF President Wallace Karia said in an interview with the ‘Daily News’ that the federation had developed the system after years of challenges with fixture scheduling, referee appointments and competition statistics, adding that it would be continually improved as the league evolves.
“We have seen the need to come up with a system that can help us solve those challenges, and we will continue making improvements from time to time,” Karia said.
He explained that the system will manage the league from the initial fixture planning stage, with schedules now being generated digitally rather than manually.
“This time the fixture list will be organised through a system, and we believe it will reduce many of the complaints we have received in the past,” he said.
Karia said one of the key objectives of the new platform is to minimise unnecessary travel for clubs by taking geographical factors into account when producing the fixture list.
“It will also help reduce costs for teams because the instructions built into the system take those considerations into account,” he said.
He added that the federation expects complaints from clubs over travelling long distances between successive fixtures to become less frequent.
“There have been complaints from clubs about playing in one region and then immediately having to travel to another far away. We believe those concerns will be reduced, although some complaints are not well-founded,” Karia said.
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The TFF president also revealed that the new system and the fixture list for the upcoming season are expected to be officially launched before July 20, following final consultations with the league’s broadcast partner.
“We had planned to launch it officially before July 20, and after discussions with our broadcasters there are a few additions, particularly regarding match timings, that are being incorporated,” he said.
Karia noted that the software has also been designed to help prevent excessive fixture congestion, saying clubs should generally not be required to play more than three matches in a single week.
“There may be weeks with three matches, but I don’t think the system has been programmed to schedule more than three games in a week. Where that happens, it will be for good reason,” he said.
The new platform will also oversee referee appointments and maintain competition statistics as part of TFF’s wider efforts to modernise the administration of domestic football.