Mwinyi: Union League crucial

DODOMA: ZANZIBAR President and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Hussein Mwinyi, has said the return of the Tanzania Union Super League is vital to cement the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

He made the remarks yesterday in Dodoma, during the launch of a book about the 60 years of the Union of the two sides.

He made the remarks yesterday in Dodoma, during the launch of a book about the 60 years of the Union of the two sides.

“In a special way, let me thank you (President Samia Suluhu Hassan) for seeing it necessary to bring back the Tanzania Union Super League that will be played, and through it, we have valued the Union. “On behalf of my colleagues, I thank you for this great idea and I welcome you all to come to Zanzibar to witness the competition,” he said.

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The league began yesterday, with one fixture as Simba hosted KVZ at Amaan Sports Complex in Zanzibar, which kicked off at 8:15 pm.

Today, Azam face KMKM in another thrilling match at the same venue, and the winning side will slide into the finals ready to interface either Simba or KVZ. Initially, the league was supposed to attract last season’s Mainland Premier League Champions, Young Africans and runners-up Simba to represent Tanzania Mainland.

But Yanga requested not to take part on condition that they have a tight Premier League schedule, hence they were replaced by Azam.

For Zanzibar, the envoys are defending champions KMKM and KVZ who scooped the second place in the PBZ Premier League last season.

According to the available fixtures of the competition, the finals are scheduled for Saturday. In a related development, the Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF) yesterday released a list of seven referees picked to officiate the three matches of the league.

From the Mainland Premier League, three selected officials are Ahmed Arajiga, Frank Komba and Amina Kyando while from Zanzibar are Ali Mbwana, Ali Ibada, Nassir Msomali and Mohamed Khamis.

In his recent remarks, ZFF General Secretary, Hussein Ahmada, noted that the Union Super League will help to improve the football leagues of both sides.

“Through it, new talents will be spotted that can be featured in the national teams, thereby leading to the strengthening of the national teams.

“This year, we are just doing the launch of the league and next year, people should expect to see a lot of improvement in this historic competition,” he said.

Also, he seized the platform to urge stakeholders to turn up in big numbers and be part of the celebration.