Azam FC

While Young Africans cruise into their fifth Kagame Cup title last Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Azam FC has joined the line-up of three other Tanzanian teams.
 
Azam lost the final the way Coastal Union did when they featured in the 1989 when Kenya Breweries posted a 3-0 victory to end their desirable dream.

It was the same story with Zanzibar’s Mlandege who lost by 2-1 to Rwanda’s Rayon Sport at their backyard of Amaan Stadium during the 1998 championship.

The third Tanzanian team was Moro United who crashed out at the hands of Uganda’s Police FC during the 2006 final.

Azam has summed up the three other teams which also made their maiden appearance in the tourney and failed to produce an upset in the final.

Worse enough, the three teams of Coastal Union, Mlandege and Moro United had experienced high turbulence after the remarkable feat. The teams failed to get hold of their grip in the premiership berth.

No wonder Coastal Union tried hard to make premiership resurgence in the previous season but Moro United and Mlandege are out of the top flight berth anymore.

Not much is known for Azam whether it might follow the same trend or reverse the tradition to disappear from the high-profile football berths.

Some foreign teams which have also made remarkable maiden appearance either to reach the final or lose it have also experienced turbulence to disappear in the football map.

Somalia’s Horseed FC, which reached ad lost the 197final, is no where to be seen.

Malawi’s Admarc Tigers, who gave hectic moment AFC Leopards during the 1983 tournament stage in Zanzibar, also have no roots in their country.

Zimbabwean Rio Tinto, the finalists in Nairobi against AFC Leopards in 1982 final, have followed suit.

Then came the Rwanda’s Attraco Fact, winners of the 2009 Kagame Cup title in Khartoum, are also struggling in Kigali.

Uganda’s Express FC are also in the turbulent waters despite reaching the final of the 1995 in Dar es Salaam.

  The Kagame Cup has been a tourney of its own history with such teams as Yanga, Simba, AFC Leopards, Tusker FC, Sports Club Villa, El Merreikh and Gor Mahia exchanging the titles between themselves.

Rare single-title winners in the likes of Kampala City Council (1978) and  Rayon Sport (1998) have also been out of the reach for Kageme Cup subsequent tournament.ll an arduous one.