The model that keeps Azam punching above their weight

A view of Azam Sports Complex in Chamazi in this photo taken on July 13, 2018. The stadium has a seating capacity of 5,000 and is the venue of Azam’s home matches. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO |

What you need to know:

  • Yes we can! Despite not being at par with Tanzanian giants Simba and Young Africans in terms of a robust and faithful fan base, Azam Football Club has been at the centre of attention for its outstanding management model developed over the last 11 years.

It’s the D-day! The organisers are busy like bees precisely to ensure nothing goes amiss in front of a host of respected guests on the tournament’s grand finale.

For the finalists, it’s a date with destiny as curtains come down on the regional tourney at the 60,000-seater National Stadium in Dar es Salaam with Tanzanian giants Simba Sports Club locking horns with city rivals Azam FC in the Council of East and Central Football Association (Cecafa) Kagame Cup final with Sh3 million prize money at stake.

As the clock ticks towards kick off, players from both sides are locked in their respective changing rooms in assiduous meditation to avoid mental distraction ahead of the big match.

Its 7am on Friday, July 13, as we take a 15km bus ride to our destination. From the city, our Google map leads us to a small town on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam and after a 30 minute ride, a big concrete block painted white visibly stands on the left, the main gate neatly inscribed in noticeable blue colour - Azam Sports Complex.

“Good morning gentlemen, how can I can help you,” gently asks a security officer dressed in navy blue uniform at the gate. After a few phone calls, perhaps with the administration, he waves us in, directing us to one of the parking slots.

This is the home of Azam Football Club, a football team that came into being not so long ago.

But despite not being at par with Tanzanian giants Simba and Young Africans in terms of a robust and faithful fan base, Azam has been at the centre of attention for its outstanding management model developed over the last 11 years.

Azam FC was founded in June 2007 by a group of workers from Bakhresa Group of Companies, an industrial conglomerate owned by Tanzanian magnate Said Salim Bakhresa (SSB).

Said Salim Bakhresa family members led by Azam FC CEO Karim Abdulkarim (far left) celebrate winning the 2018 Cecafa Kagame Cup after beating Simba SC 2-1 in the final at National Stadium, Dar es Salaam on July 13, 2018. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Employees of these companies came up with a team as a way of enabling themselves to cool off after long and busy work schedules.

They would meet in the evenings to play football that later yielded inter-companies competitions.

“It’s from this that a team was formed and registered in the lower division,” explains Phillip Alando, one of the former players at the club currently serving as the administrator and team manager.

The initial target of the club was to recruit the best players who would help the team gain promotion to the top flight league in Tanzania.

The objective was achieved at the end of the 2008/09 season when the team finished in eighth place. The team’s performance in the top tier league have been improving tremendously since then even as the team continues to attract some of the best players in the country.

Tanzanian internationals Mrisho Ngassa and John Bocco, Rwandese Patrick Mafisango are just but a few stars who donned the navy blue and white Azam jersey in the yesteryear.

Azam, fully owned by the Bakhresa group, won the Tanzanian league in the 2013/14 season six points ahead of giants Yanga who finished second. They’ve four Mapinduzi Cups in their well-preserved trophy cabinet.

“Under the support of SSB (Said Salim Bakhresa), we put up an artificial turf in 2010 and by 2011 had dormitories that could house our players participating in the league,” notes Alando as we set off on a tour of the facility spread in a 17-acre piece of land.

Azam's trophy locker room at Azam Sports Complex, Chamazi Tanzania in this photo taken on July 13, 2018. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

The first pitch is an artificial one and serves as their main stadium with a 5,000 sitting capacity, meeting Confederation of African Football (Caf) standards.
But wait! This is where the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group L qualifier pitting Taifa Stars and Lesotho was hosted on June 10 ending 1-1.

The stadium has two properly designed dressing rooms fitted with a large massage table.

Referees, anti-doping, VIP, emergency and federation rooms are separated and equipped with television sets, spacious refrigerators, air-conditioners, and first aid kits and enough hot showers.

About 10 metres from the guest room, there’s a soundproof media centre fixed with an ambient sound system that can accommodate 48 persons and besides it is an OB (Outside Broadcast) van plus a permanent public announcement system with commentary booths and on the far end, a five-by-four metres stadium screen. There are four floodlights each carrying 20 light bulbs of 2000 watts each.

On the pitch, a large group of youthful players, forming their Under-11, Under-13, Under-17 and Under-20 categories continue to train on the turf under the watchful eyes of the academy coach.

“Over 600 kids attend trials but we also scout all over Tanzania through participation in youth tourneys. We sponsor kids’ education while monitoring their progress throughout their development,” notes Alando.

A section of the gym at the Azam Sports Complex, Chamazi, Tanzania in this photo taken on July 13, 2018. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

He cites Taifa Stars custodian Aishi Manula, Egypt-based combative midfielder Himid Mao, Spanish side CD Tenerife forward Farid Musa, Shaban Idd Chilunda and AFC Leopards’ Kenyan midfielder Saad Musa as some of the notable academy products.

The second pitch is on natural grass and on its left is a fully furnished gym with sauna and a properly maintained swimming pool with a treatment plant aside.

Azam first team under the tutelage of Dutch coach Hans Van der Pluijm had just finished their 30 minute training session on the second pitch ahead of the final of the regional tourney, which they won 2-1 courtesy of goals from Chilunda and Aggrey Morris goals in each half.

“African players have talents but need proper trainers that can give them the tactical compliment to become better stars. At the same time, you need to start at a tender age to churn out the best,” said Pluijm.

We met him after the game and he didn’t hesitate to explain his different approach to the final.

“We had to honour our morning training session because this was a normal game to us, it was a way of inspiring the players not to be carried away by Simba’s might.”

The DNA of Azam football is centred on an intelligent use of the ball, quick passing and the next generation according to Pluijm, who won back-to-back titles with Yanga, looks just promising.

The learning process is pegged on the age of the players, with an emphasis on technique at their tender age and adding tactical and physical concepts as they scale through the ranks until they make the cut for the senior team.

The ingredient most commonly applied across all ages is the formation of values applicable to their lives, that’s competitiveness, self-improvement, overcoming distress and respect.

“Do the right thing at the right time in a right mood with the right decision, that’s our moral here,” reveals Alando.

Chilunda, 19, scored the opener in that well-attended final to walk away with the golden boot.

His silky touch, pace, ability to move forward and score saw him attract the attention of Spanish second division side CD Tenerife scouts where he joined compatriot Farid Musa after the tourney.

“I’ve gained a lot from the academy since I joined them four years ago and I have honed my skills here enabling me to join the paid ranks in Europe,” said Chilunda, who netted eight goals in the 12-team regional competition.

Another potential star of the future at Azam is Zanzibar international midfielder Mudathir Yahya.

At just 23 years, “Muda”, as famously known among his peers, returns to Azam after a season-long loan deal at Singida United in the Tanzanian Premier League.

“I’ve played for the national U17, U20 and senior teams thanks to the basics I gained here. They’ve a fantastic football environment a perfect recipe for any ambitious footballer,” said Yahya as he retreated to his room a few metres away from the complex canteen where players are served three meals a day.

Each of the 25 rooms, shared by two players, is equipped with a 32-inch television screen, a refrigerator and a WI-FI connection.

The coaches are housed in a separate apartment behind the main stadium but within the complex.

A view of Azam Sports Complex in Chamazi in this photo taken on July 13, 2018. The stadium has a seating capacity of 5,000 and is the venue of Azam’s home matches. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO |

For the past 11 years, an approximate Sh220 million has been spent in putting up the structures. The team has also attracted shirt sponsorship from National Microfinancing Bank (NMB) worth Sh30 million per year and SSB products such as Uhai, Azam Cola and Azam TV.

They also get benefits from Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Vodacom and DTB Bank who are the Tanzanian league sponsors.

Farid was reportedly sold for Sh20 million to Spain in July 2016, with Shaban said to be valued at a similar amount.

The early success – winning the league title and two Cecafa Kagame Cups within 11 years, is the epitome of a good business management model at a time when clubs in Kenya, for instance, are living beyond their means and recklessly spending cash.

Azam’s team coach majestically seated at the Azam Sports Complex parking lot on July 13, 2018 on July 13, 2018. PHOTO | VINCENT OPIYO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

Azam’s structure has proved that clubs can still grow but to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Karim “Popat” Abdulkarim, such humble beginnings have made this circumstance their modus operandi.

“It takes time to get results for a team like Azam with far much fewer fans than Simba or Yanga. It’s hard to get many sponsors on board but the investment is growing though taking so long,” Karim, an SSB family member, told Nation Sport.

“We just sold our second player (Shaban Chilunda) after years but the best foundation is in youth, look, these crop of players have been with us for sometime and now we can see the results they are giving us, in the next five years we want to be African champions and we can get there because we believe we are doing everything right,” he added.

Season after season, Kenyan clubs have struggled to put their houses in order. The 2018 campaign, for example, has been marred with lack of pitches, sponsors and training facilities.

This year, record Kenyan champions Gor Mahia will mark 50 years since inception but have nothing tangible worth writing about. The same case applies to their arch-rivals AFC Leopards.

Tusker, sponsored by a multibillion alcoholic beverage company, East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), haven’t followed a similar way despite being the third most successful club in the country.

Sofapaka, founded in 2004, won the league in 2009 on their debut season and showed signs of success only to crumble in recent times due to inadequate finances.

Petty politics and misplaced priorities have also been attributed to lack of multiple sponsors for Kenyan clubs contributing to lack of progress.

In this era of devolution, for instance, counties which are exposed to huge chunks of land, can invest in such a project as a tourist and investors attraction centre.

These are lessons Alando has challenged Kenyan clubs to pick.

“Separate politics and football, avoid tribalism and don’t mix sponsors’ interests so that they don’t clash selling similar products via a single club,” he advised.

“Kenya is the stronger country in the region economically but shockingly clubs have failed to take advantage of the growth and put in place such structures to cut costs,” he pointed out.

“I’m an ardent fan of Kenyan football from the old days of Mike Okoth and unlike Tanzania, Kenya has produced top talents in the top European leagues but the success isn’t reflected on the ground. Sadly, as the petty politics thrive, investors will continue distancing themselves from the markets. Remember you cannot spend what you don’t have, but with proper structures, investors will get their worth.”

Azam has previously signed Kenyan players Ibrahim Shikanda, George “Blackberry” Odhiambo, Jockins Atudo, Humphrey Mieno and Allan Wanga but Alando challenges Kenyan players to show commitment while in foreign lands.

“Ask yourself, how come few have had success in Tanzanian league and why is Azam not signing any? Kenyan players should have this tendency of asking for permission whenever they are free, they should find solutions to solving home sickness,” he concluded.