Football legends mourn Lowassa

DAR ES SALAAM: FOOTBALL legends said they will always remember the late former Prime Minister Edward Lowassa as a person who loved sports a lot.

Briefing the ‘Daily News’ yesterday, ex-Young Africans defender Bakali Malima pointed out that Lowassa played a vital role in scaling up football in the country.

“I remember when he was seeking endorsement to be appointed as CCM presidential candidate in 2015, I was one of the ten former football players, he picked to move with him in five regions. “Throughout the tour, he was telling us that we have done a lot in football circles as such, there was no way he could leave us alone,” Malima recalled.

He mentioned the regions they visited as Arusha, Shinyanga, Dar es Salaam, Songea and Mtwara while naming Mohamed Hussein, Idd Moshi, George Lukasi, Madalaka Suleimam and Juma Said as some of the players who made the trip.

“Because of this, I will always remember him as he honored us a lot,” Malima said. Similarly, former Simba player Dua Said remarked that Lowassa was once invited as the guest of honour during the traditional derby match between Simba against Yanga.

“I think it was in 2018 or 2019 when he was the chief guest between Simba and Yanga match at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam and this alone is an indicator that he was a person who liked sports,” he said.

Meanwhile, Premier League clubs Simba, Yanga, Azam and many others have joined hands in mourning Lowassa through their instagram account posts.