The Tanzania Mainland team head Coach Marcio Maximo has confidently said that no amount of pressure will influence him to retire from his post.The Brazilian who is paid $10.000 per month said on Wednesday in a press conference that despite unruly characters of national fans, none will force him to throw in the towel.“Everybody has his own opinion and personally I don’t care what people say. Nothing is going to affect my work and nothing will provoke me from sticking to my principles.“I had good offers from South Africa and United Arab Emirates but I turned them down because i am a professional man and I could not leave Tanzania half-way,” angrily Maximo said. He added, “All these offers were paying good salaries, doubling to what Tanzania pays me but I refused because I wanted to transform Tanzania’s football fortunes.’“When Tanzania loses, i’m also hurt just like anybody else but time is all that we need to achieve our goals,” Maximo said. “Let’s not forget where we came from. I compare the football scene in Tanzania when I came about a year ago, to the sick patient in a hospital. Tanzania was in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) when I came. After months of medication, the team is now on its feet. You do not expect it to start running immediately,” he says ‘We need to give the team time to steady its feet before it can run,’ he added. He further noted that he thinks he has done a lot for Tanzania because by the time he came, Tanzania was ranked 167 but today, its ranked 89th. Maximo is blamed for selecting poor players ahead of experienced ones, a feat which fans attributed to the Kilimanjaro Stars’ early exit from Cecafa Cup. However, the Brazilain born coach referred to Jurgen Klinsman and Guus Hidink, whose appointments were criticized but went on to lead Germany and South Korea national teams successfully. Ends
