The official was handed the lengthy sanction for inciting statements among other counts of law-breaking, according to the federation
Yanga SC vice-chairman Fredrick Mwakalebela has hit back at the Tanzania Football Federation’s Disciplinary Committee for handing him a five-year ban.
Mwakalebela was called to defend himself before the five-year ban takes effect, which will see him not being able to associate himself with football.
“I feel justice was not served and I had seen it from how the hearings were conducted. For sure, I knew I was going to be banned,” Mwakalebela said during an interview with reporters.
“I had warned even our chairman [Mshindo Msolla] that I was going to be banned and that is because I was sceptical about how the committee ran the hearing process.”
The official further claimed his ban was unfair as the cases he raised at the tribunal before were never heard or decided.
Among the issues Yanga protested at the tribunal is Bernard Morrison’s controversial switch to Simba SC in December 2020.
The case is yet to be fully determined although the TFF’s Players’ Status Committee had stated the Ghanaian was not bound by any Yanga contract and was a free agent at the time.
“I tabled all our complaints but we were never given a chance to be heard conclusively,” he added.
“Yanga bestowed on me great honour to help run their club and I have never shied away from defending them. I do defend them for the better of the club.
“I was banned on a number of actions and one of them is that I made inciting remarks against the referees. But I have raised a number of issues including how our letters of complaints and demands are never attended to.
“That is the reason I was banned and fined. I also made a demand that Morrison’s case is heard and determined before the incitement case was heard.”
The Tanzanian football administrator also sarcastically claimed the ban means he should not even read news updates on sports.
“I have been asked not to engage in matters of football and that means even reading sports sections in the newspapers,” he concluded.
“That means even the TVs must be switched off whenever I am in a room because I have been banned from sports activities.”
The federation, apart from banning the official, Mwakalebela was was also fined and issued a warning
“Tanzania Football Federation Disciplinary Committee has banned Yanga SC’s vice-chairman Mwakalebela from football activities for five years,” TFF judgement read.
“Mwakalebela has also been fined Tsh5,000,000 after he was found guilty of inciteful statements for the Yanga fans, the members against football administration bodies in the country.
“The judgement has been delivered pursuant to Article 73(4) of TFF Regulations of 2013.”
It is not yet clear whether the Timu ya Wananchi official will appeal against the judgement rendered by the committee on Friday.
Mwakalebela is the second high-profile figure at Yanga to be sanctioned after media liaison officer Hassan Bumbuli was banned for three years.