NDOTO YA ZANZIBAR KUJIUNGA NA FIFA KUTIMIA?

By Mkinga Mkinga

Zanzibar. Zanzibar will soon become a full member of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), the Isles newly elected president, Ali Mohamed Shein, revealed yesterday.

Addressing Members of the House of Representatives at Mbweni here, Shein said Fifa has confirmed Zanzibar’s membership to the Isles delegate to the federation’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland recently.While in Geneva, the delegate asked the world soccer body to include Zanzibar in the list of its members.

If implemented, Fifa’s decision will mark the end the Isles’ five-year struggle for the membership.In 2005 Fifa, rejected an application by Zanzibar football authorities to be granted full membership.

In August 2002, Zanzibar football authorities opted to ‘part ways’ with their Tanzania mainland counterparts and started seeking full membership of both Caf and Fifa.

However, a two-day meeting of the Fifa executive committee in Zurich in 2005, resolved that Fifa would continue to regard Zanzibar as an affiliate of Tanzania. Fifa insisted that Zanzibar is "not an independent state recognised by the international community at present, nor is it likely to be in the foreseeable future."

The Isles revived her campaign for Fifa membership last year when the then  Deputy Chief Minister, Ally Juma Shamhuna, asked the world soccer body to recognise the Isles and give it full membership. Speaking at the launch of the World Cup Trophy tour in Zanzibar that the Isles membership should be like that of the states forming the United Kingdom.

The states, which involve England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are treated as independent members of Fifa. He said Zanzibar would not stop from fighting for her membership despite seeing most of the past struggles ending fruitlessly."We still we’ll succeed one day as we will keep on fighting for the membership,” he insisted during the world Cup tour.

In September, 2010 Minister for information, culture and sports and deputy Chief Minister, Ali Juma Shamhuna, told reporters that the Isles FIFA membership bid was in the final touches.The delegation that also included Mainland’s deputy minister for information, culture ad sports, Joel Bendera travelled to Zurich where they faced FIFA president, Sepp Blatter.Blatter did not promise to award Zanzibar FIFA membership but simply said he would work out on it.

“Went to seek FIFA membership and from Blatter’s response we remain hopeful but there is no confirmation so far”, said Shamhuna.The United Republic of Tanzania has strongly backed Zanzibar’s FIFA membership bid, according to Shamhuna.

Shamhuna said the membership bid has been forwarded with strong reasons for doing so

News  credit : The Citizen