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We wish Henry Joseph the best
2009-01-24 10:50:20
By Editor
Taifa Stars skipper Henry Joseph Shindika is expected to leave for Europe today to have a shot at professional soccer in Norway.
His departure will doubtless be a huge big blow to the national team but his decision to seek greener pastures abroad could meanwhile be a blessing in disguise for the rest of us.
No one knows what will happen to his dream of joining the ranks of megastars like Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo but we all should pray that he makes a breakthrough and lands a lucrative career in soccer.
Should Henry win a contract there, it will be an invaluable addition to the few major achievements by Tanzanian footballers and who would not want to bathe in such grace and glory?
Unlike many of his colleagues, who have for long been busy exploring the Middle East market, Henry has opted for a completely different direction.
And it is quite possible for his decision to lure more of our soccer players into the European market, leading to vast improvement in the standard of our soccer.
The good news is that the Tanzania Football Federation has blessed the player plans to search for a fully fledged career in his hobby of choice.
There was a time when our national soccer authorities were so bureaucratic in helping players get international transfer certificates that it looked as if Tanzania was allergic to professional soccer.
Fortunately, the current FA leadership has been highly transparent and supportive and has nodded virtually to every move involving players out to go professional.
The number of Tanzanian soccer players in Middle East leagues is minimal, with the situation a lot worse even in the not-so-prestigious European ones.
Abeid brothers Haidari and Khalid were some of the first Tanzanian players to feature in Middle East soccer but they did not make much impact.
Many others followed but it was the same story of not living up to expectation and winning our country accolades in world soccer.
Manara brothers Sunday and Kassim attempted to make it into Austrian second division sides in the late 1970s.
Although they are still considered pioneers as far as professional football is concerned in the Tanzanian perspective, they too did not fare that well.
Other Tanzania players who could be similarly ranked with regard to the European market include Kally Ongala, Shekhan Rashid, Mohamed Mwameja and Edibily Lunyamila.
However, none of them registered any really noticeable achievement.
Henry will be greatly missed by the Taifa Stars side that travels to Abidjan next month for the inaugural Championship of African Nations (CHAN) finals.
But head coach Marcio Maximo remains upbeat, saying he has enough good players and there is no cause for alarm.
Henry departure should be taken as a challenge for the rest of our soccer players to learn from.
Meanwhile, we wish him all the best in his quest because he will have done our nation proud if his dream comes true. We hope he will stick to his career plans throughout.
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