Tanzanian off the hook for Eto'o jersey swap

The Tanzanian Football Federation (TFF) has backed down over a threat to force one of its players to buy his own kit after he swapped shirts with Samuel Eto'o following a World Cup qualifying match.

The TFF was unhappy that Nadir Haroub agreed to a request by Eto'o to swap shirts following a recent 2-1 defeat in Cameroon, saying it could not afford to buy replacement strips after every game.

However, with huge public sympathy for the player - including efforts to raise funds to buy a him a new strip - the TFF backed down.

"It's obvious he couldn't say no to Eto'o," the BBC quoted TFF president Leodegar Tenga as saying. "It was a wise decision to give his jersey to such a famous player. This will make our country known."

The national team, known as the Taifa Stars, has never qualified for the World Cup proper and looks unlikely to this time around.

Tanzania has amassed only two points from four qualifying matches so far in Africa's Group 1, trailing second place Cape Verde Islands by seven points. - Sapa-dpa