Tanzania’s Tiger Queens will be making their debut in the Serengeti Women Premier League in November and in the dugout will be none other than three-time Kenya Women Premier League winning coach Alex Alumirah, as the Manager.Alumirah joined Tiger Queens in August, just a week after parting ways with Vihiga Queens.His exit at Vihiga Queens in August came as shock to many for two reasons. First, because he had been at the club for 8 years, he had seen the team grow and molded it to become a giant in Women’s football in Kenya, winning one FKF Division 1 title and three KWPL titles.Second, because Vihiga Queens were just days away from representing the country in the inaugural CAF Women Champions League zonal qualifiers in Nairobi. Still, in an interview then after his exit, Alumirah was adamant that the girls would go all the way and grab the only ticket, and they did.Mozzart Sport had a chat with the gaffer on how it has been like for him settling in a new country, a new club in a new league, and with his family back at home, how they compare with teams back home, national teams fanbase between the two countries and also sought his opinion on the Harambee Starlets squad.How are you settling in at your new club?Tanzania is good. Settling here has been seamless more so when you see how the boss treats me more like his brother than his employee. It is a good place to be.How can you describe your new colleagues, players, the working environment?At the moment, my assistant coach is with the u20 national team. The same to my equipment manager. I’m yet to meet the whole crew because I also have some of my players still with their national teams. We communicate via video calls and it’s all well so far. I’m at a place that is enjoyable. I just pray that I don’t get carried away with the nice environment. It could affect my team’s performance.What major difference have you noticed between their clubs and our clubs?Here coaches are managers. They are given the freedom to hire and fire backroom staff. They have the final say on how long a player’s contract lasts. They also advise how much a player earns. After a week’s training session, for example, I sat down with the boss and we had to review the pay structure. There are players whose salaries doubled or tripled based on what I had observed in training. Luckily, the boss approved all of the proposals I had put forward. I’m responsible for almost everything and answerable to the team owner, with the rest of the staff answerable to me. From finances to staffing to every other operation. However, I have delegated duties to enable me to have an easy time. I will only be reviewing reports on a monthly basis. Delegation is part of management.Already feeling at home#RuthlessDetermination#ChallengeAccepted pic.twitter.com/wgVP9kfMIa— Coach Alex Alumirah (@alumirah_c) August 28, 2021 What would you say about the support accorded to Tiger Queens? Financially, mentally, all-round?Perfect. At the moment, there’s nothing to complain about. Everybody is happy. I have given people the freedom to work on their own without pressure. I’m hopeful that they will be responsible because passion needs no supervision. Money is a catalyst for a good working environment. Our boss ensures that everything is there in good time. He understands football in-depth and there are times he provides things that we need even before we ask for themYour family is back here in Kenya, has that been an issue for you? Have you considered moving with them?Visiting my family isn’t an issue. Arusha and Vihiga are just a few hours away. It’s not an issue at all.What are some of the challenges that you have encountered settling in Tanzania?Language is a bit of a challenge. I just discovered that Kiswahili is not just Kiswahili. I’m used to instructing in English but I have to adapt. With mixed nationalities, there’s a group that speaks French and Swahili but doesn’t understand English. Others understand English and not French and Swahili, others Swahili only. It forces me to translate lots of my messages which takes a long time to run training sessions. The likes of kiungo mkabaji, nafasi nyeupe, and pasi telezi. Sometimes I have to rehearse a training session the day before.I’m officially a tiger!#RuthlessDetermination pic.twitter.com/z4nLFZ2JQG— Coach Alex Alumirah (@alumirah_c) August 27, 2021 What are the team’s targets this season?We have one main target this season and it is to try to stabilize the team so that we don’t get relegated. It is a young team, new in the league and filled with different nationalities with various cultures and backgrounds. We have to knit them into one family then try to get a team that can compete. But basically, ours is to maintain our status in the league.You were privileged to be in Tanzania when their team lost to Gabon narrowly, what was the reaction?Boss, just like Bill Shankly said, football here is not a matter of life and death. It’s more than that. (Laughs). These guys love their football. When their clubs / national teams are playing, everything stops! I was at a local joint where guys got in an hour to the game, ate in good time, and remained glued to the screens. When they lost, guys were shedding tears. It was painful for them! A day later, when their women’s teams were playing, I went to the same joint to see and the passion was the same. The routine was the same and this time around, it was tears of joy. These guys are very very passionate about their football. Very few talk about European teams when their local teams are playingI have watched you grow over the years; which was enough to steer my belief system that you are destined for greatness. Congratulations Vihiga Queens Football CLUB. You have made me super proud!#CAFWomenChampionsLeague#CECAFAQualifiers pic.twitter.com/5bVCJGhdzV— Coach Alex Alumirah (@alumirah_c) September 9, 2021 What was the mood when Tanzania’s women’s football team won the COSAFA 2021 Championship?These guys were singing all over. My players were overjoyed and did not sleep that day! I had two players in the senior team and two in the U20 side. The win was very motivating for those that are at the club. Now everyone will want to be part of the NT and that will push them to work hard!What do you think of the Harambee Starlets squad currently in camp? The squad in camp is competent enough to face anybody. All those players have earned the spots based on how they have been performing. It’s open for us all to see from the games we’ve been watching.A word to young and upcoming coaches more so in the women’s game? Those who look up to you?They should know that success comes at a cost. It is not always a bed of roses. You have to work for it.
