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THE Tanzania Amateur Netball Association (Chaneta) is racing against time to raise money for the national team, Taifa Queens' trip to England and Scotland for a series of high profile friendlies ahead of the 2011 World Championship qualifiers.
With the date for the team's departure only two weeks away, Taifa Queens' hopes to honour the trials remain slim, it has been revealed.
Chaneta needs 60m/- for the planned f14-day training stint in Manchester, England and Scotland aimed at helping the Tanzanian girls acquire the skills and exposure they need to make their presence felt in the anxiously awaited qualifiers.
Chaneta chairperson Anna Bayi confirmed in an interview with THISDAY at the weekend that the team's trip was hanging in the balance.
“Our hopes to honour the warm-ups are now in suspense because our efforts to secure financial support from various institutions have yet to bear fruits,” she said.
“The Chaneta executive committee meets on Monday (today) to, among other things, clear the controversy surrounding the trip,” she added. She fell short of revealing how much they have raised so far.
About a month a go, Chaneta, whose most pressing need for this year is to be among Africa's qualifiers for the 2011 World Championship in Singapore, named a 20-member squad for the European tour.
Bayi said they need to raise money to foot return air tickets for the players and officials, food and accommodation during their stay in Manchester and Scotland.
Meanwhile, Chaneta officials are now rubbing their hands with glee following reports that the Ministry of Information, Culture and Sports has forwarded its recommendations on an expatriate coach to the State House for further action.
“We're delighted that the ministry has appreciated our choice for the coach and submitted our recommendations to President Jakaya Kikwete for approval,” Bayi said at the weekend.
Looking joyous, Bayi voiced optimism that the President would give his go ahead to contract an expatriate coach who will handle Taifa Queens.
Early this month, Minister George Mkuchika reportedly wrote to President Kikwete to seek his go ahead after Chaneta had concluded its search for the coach and submitted its recommendations to the government.
A source within the ministry was quoted last week as saying Chaneta had done their job excellently by incorporating IFNA (International Federation of Netball Associations) in their search for the new coach.
President Kikwete, rated as next to none when it comes to sports promotion, has offered to hire a national netball coach whose expenses will be met by the government.
Under the president's initiative, the government has also hired soccer, athletics, boxing and judo coaches from Brazil and Cuba.
The national soccer team, Taifa Stars, is currently under Brazilian coach Marcio Maximo and his assistant Rodrigo Stockler, whileCubans Adres Edwardo Baro and Jorge Luis Bravo Rojas take charge of the athletics team.
Other Cubans, Georvanis Hurtado Pimentel and Jose Valdes Silva, coach the national boxing and judo teams respectively.
Chaneta is seeking a coach capable of promoting the popularity, profile and playing standards of netball in Tanzania.
The new coach is expected to focus on the development of national netball programmes with specific emphasis on progress of the national team.
In the short term, Tanzania, ranked 22nd in the world and fourth in Africa, aims to feature among top 15 teams in the world by 2012.