Kikwete explains how academies will help Yanga SC, Simba SC reduce foreign dependency

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The retired president, who is an ardent Timu ya Wananchi fan, feels youth institutions will help clubs ensure continuous talent production

Former Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete has urged Yanga SC and Simba SC to invest in academies in order to nurture their own stars.

Kikwete – a Yanga fan – stated the academy will help the clubs have a continuous chain of younger players joining senior teams. The fourth president of the republic also said the academy will help reduce the dependency on foreign players.

“What I can insist on is that Yanga should invest big in coming up with an academy so that you can nurture young talents,” Kikwete said during the Wiki ya Wananchi celebrations at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Azam TV.

“Bernard Morrison is a Ghanaian, Carlinhos is an Angolan and another is from Kenya. What I am simply saying is that we must invest in an academy.

“Juma Pondamali, a great footballer in his days, was nurtured from a previous academy, remember Sunday Manara, Gordian Mapango, Adolf Rishard and many more. The young men then grew and developed into great national team players. But remember they were academy products.

“This message goes to Yanga, Simba and Azam FC and all the other teams indeed. This will help you in dealing with the problem of signing expensive foreign players. We are rich in talent but we have to invest in their development.

“This will bring success but also remember you can develop further when you have good coaches.”

Simba have already revealed plans are in place to start an academy that will be based in Dar es Salaam.

Kikwete called upon Yanga to ensure they win the Mainland Premier League title after missing out on the last three occasions.

“Now I am requesting you to make a decision that you are going to fight and win the next league,” he added. “Everything is possible you won it many times in the previous years but in the last three seasons you have failed but I know you can fight and win it again.

“The power of unity that I have seen is great. You have shown you can really be hot but the greatest achievement is the tangible result of development within Yanga.”

Simba – Yanga’s archrivals – have won league titles since 2018 but despite their financial struggle in the last season, Yanga fought and finished second on the log.

2020-08-31 23:00:12

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