Mkapa: Yanga SC planning to hold special ceremony for departed former president

Timu Ya Wananchi have described the leader, who passed away on Friday morning, as one of their great fans

Young Africans (Yanga SC) have revealed they are planning to hold a special programme to honour late President Benjamin Mkapa.

Terming the third Tanzanian president as their number one fan, the club’s interim Secretary-General Simon Patrick said the ceremony is to pay their last respects for Mkapa and this will possibly be done after their match against Lipuli FC.

Yanga will face their opponents on Sunday, July 26.

“Yanga have lost one of their big fans, in fact, our number one fan. Many may remain unaware that Mkapa made a great contribution to the team when he was still the president of the republic and even when he retired,” Patrick told Mwanaspoti.

“Whatever he did for the club cannot be explained easily and in a simple way.

“One of the iconic structures he left for us is the national stadium in Dar es Salaam which was named after him. He wanted it to help the growth of sports in the country so it is our duty to ensure we preserve and use it diligently.

“The officials of Yanga will call for an urgent meeting and see how we can honour our number one fan in a special way.

“Although we are now focused on our last Premier League tie in Iringa, we will surely meet later on and see how we can give our last respect to our number one fan.”

Meanwhile, Yanga defender Andrew ‘Dante’ Vincent has explained why he has been missing from the team’s camp.

“Since I returned to the team after the friction that was there between me and the club’s officials, I have only played in one match against Simba SC when I was introduced in the second half. What else would I have done?” Vincent asked during an interview with Mwanaspoti.

“I have not been in his [Luc Eymael’s] plans all through and I am surprised that he has the audacity to question my discipline especially saying I do not attend training sessions. 

“What should I do in order for my discipline to be described as good?

“I would really want someone to wear my shoes and feel what I am feeling. But for now, I will leave alone what has been said about me. Let people continue talking about it.”

The defender was signed three years ago from Mtibwa Sugar and his contract is expected to end this year.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*