THE 2023/24 NBC Premier League will draw to a close this month and most teams in the league had, before Thursday ties, five games to go. As it stands, Yanga is the front-runner to win the title, with second-placed Azam FC turning out to be the closest challenger.

Third-placed Simba SC is already out of the title race and the side’s main focus is on qualifying for the CAF Champions League spot next season.

The battle to avoid relegation to next season’s Championship League is also on, with Mtibwa Sugar, Geita Gold FC, and JKT Tanzania all fighting for their lives.

Once the NBC Premier League season ends, though, domestic football enthusiasts' discussions will shed light on the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) awards, which have sparked controversy since they were unveiled.

Credit should nevertheless be issued where it is due. In the 2022/23 season, TFF awarded players accordingly and deservingly.

In terms of everyone receiving accolades for their extraordinary seasonal achievement for the previous season, Simba SC midfielder Saidi Ntibazonkiza left with five awards as was the case with Fiston Mayele, who was then turning out for Yanga. 

The federation hardly shied from handing over many awards to the duo, given both Mayele and Ntibazonkiza deserved the accolades.

We had a season like 2020/21 that saw Simba SC forward John Bocco receive the Player of the Year honour and the award sparked controversy because, in everyone's eyes- including mine-, his teammate, Zambian Clatous Chama, deserved the prize. 

Chama ended with 17 assists and eight goals in the league and catapulted his outfit to lifting the silverware, whereas Bocco notched 16 goals and two assists.

As per statistics, wise Chama had better statistics, he was probably not presented with the honour because he left for Morocco's RS Berkane before the awards night.

The federation felt the need to have the accolade remain in the country, the same day Luis Miquissone also unjustly lost out on lifting the Player of the Year award for the then Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC).

The Mozambican winger won the ASFC tournament title with Simba SC. He was the top goal scorer in the showpiece with four goals.

Yet, midfielder Feisal Salum, who was then featuring for Yanga, won the prize much as his club had lost the showdown's final to Simba SC. 

Miquissone might have failed to lift the award because he had been roped in by Egypt’s Al Ahly. It became pointless for TFF to award the Egyptian Premier League player.

Trying to find a balance in off-field issues in soccer is malicious. Once Taifa Stars head coach calls players for the side's assignments, fans will look at the presence of Simba SC and Yanga players in the national squad. TFF and the Tanzania Premier League Board are seemingly following the same route.

Seeing to it that there is a balance between the two popular outfits- when it comes to either selection of footballers for the national team or handing over awards- is now quite familiar.

Domestic soccer governing bodies ought to have a professional approach to the NBC Premier League supervision, given the league is of late positioned sixth in CAF’s ranking for best soccer leagues in Africa.

The 2023/24 NBC Premier League season is about to come to an end. In the remaining four games, Tanzanians will have already known the top flight's champion, and, as it stands, Yanga's Burkinabe midfielder Stephane Aziz Ki is bound to lay his hands on the Most Valuable Player prize in the league.

Per his current form, Aziz Ki is the joint-leading goal scorer having tied with Azam FC's Salum on 15 goals, he is by far the frontrunner for the Best Midfielder of the Season prize as well. It is, in this case, best that the issue of balancing awards should not be embraced this season.

Every player should win deservingly, foreign players like Aziz Ki have added value to the league, and fans pay for tickets to watch them play.

There is a possibility that the midfielder might win more than five awards this season, including making it to the season’s Best First XI.

The Burkinabe midfielder has his place cemented alongside Salum of Azam FC- who is also enjoying a fantastic season.

We are learning a lot from developed countries. TFF should also begin awarding Premier League players- while four clashes are remaining- to do away with having plenty of off-season activities and debates. Such a move would see to it that every team focuses on the upcoming season.

There is no point in holding the TFF awards gala at the end of the season. It takes two months to hand over accolades to league players, some might fail to attend and deliver warm speeches after picking their awards because they are likely to be outside the country. It is about time the TFF changes the awarding schedules.

All contestants need to be present, there might be many categories, and not everyone should be eligible to win. Aziz Ki has had a great season with Yanga and has been the most consistent player in the league.

I can understand why there are many categories. Such an approach aims to encourage local players to strive for greatness, but there is a need for these awards to be delivered before the season ends. The federation should not shy from handing over more than five awards to Aziz Ki because he deserves it.

End-of-the-season accolades are not for everyone, they are for the few that had an impact throughout the season.

Aziz Ki is the joint leading goal scorer and has scored in all important and difficult games that Yanga honoured and needed to win. 

He was an average player last season- especially in the second phase of the league- but, this season, he has elevated his game in all competitions whilst turning out for Yanga.

Local players, especially the ones in the attacking force, have a lot to learn from their foreign counterparts. In recent years, domestic defenders have delivered so much- putting in top-class performances.

In the 2022/23 season, players, who won awards, complained of having not been presented with cash prizes. The TFF and TPLB should state the matter to clear the air, if awards and cash prizes are handed over simultaneously, players who will secure the awards ought to receive their cash prizes early.

This case happened a few seasons back, as I highlighted the issue concerning Chama and Miquissone. After the season ends, some players' contracts expire and the footballers join clubs outside the country.

Some coaches also get new offers outside Tanzania and leave. As a result, TFF ought to hand over awards and cash prizes (if present) early and players that have won should receive their awards before leaving.

Tanzania's soccer has grown massively and it is winning many followers beyond the country's borders. Simba SC and Yanga have brought so much attention to the Premier League due to their top performance in the CAF Champions League this season.

Taifa Stars' participation in the 2023 AFCON did not come by chance, it came about thanks to the presence of strong competition in the Premier League. Domestic footballers have gained a lot from their foreign counterparts they regularly come up against in the league.

With these achievements, domestic football needs leaders who align with the quality of the game and are open to learning useful new aspects that will lay the foundation for a more competitive, valuable league in the future.