Editorial Cartoon

After months of hectic moments and a taxing campaign trail that dominated street talk, Kagame Cup title holders Young Africans (Yanga) have eventually moved a lot closer to keeping their house in order.

The holding of a peaceful election in Dar es Salaam yesterday will presumably have brought to an end a drawn-out leadership crisis that seriously disrupted the club’s operations.

Now that the election is over, we expect the new leadership to work more closely with members and all other stakeholders in spearheading the club’s development.

Both Yanga members and the new office bearers will be well advised to forget the past and open a new chapter, and therefore really move to meet their club’s interests.

It should be regarded as a leadership cleansing aimed at harnessing the club’s new strategies for development.

The cub still has a long and hard road to travel before it can have a stable leadership, and this is a feat calling for maximum cooperation and unity from all Yanga members and sympathisers – as well as sports and peace lovers generally.

Time has come for Yanga and all sports clubs and associations in Tanzania to steer clear of needless bickering as that can only hinder the development of sports.

Most successful sports clubs throughout the world have made it thanks to stable leadership and unity among their members – and none because it was notorious house of squabbles.

Moreover, both members and leaders need to place a premium on hard, intelligent work, as a way of meeting the aspirations and expectations of their huge fan bases.

This group of non-members is represented in numerous households not only in Tanzania but also beyond our borders. They may not be eligible when it comes to voting, but they remain the heart and soul of whatever clubs or teams they love and cherish.

It is a fact, though, that it will take time for fruits of the new leadership to be reaped. Members and fans alike ought to bear this in mind, as Rome was not built in a day!

Thus, Yanga members and fans need to extend maximum cooperation to the newly elected officials, who need time to knock the club and team into such a shape up as in consonance with the pre-set objectives.

Patience is what is needed most at this stage when the new office bearers take on the difficult task of organising the best way to run the club’s affairs.

Instant success is unlikely to be achieved as development is an aggregate of several factors based on prevailing circumstances.

The election was indeed supposed to bring harmony among the club members, players and officials alike. For the past three months Yanga club have known untold turbulence, which many wished away and will not miss now that calm has resumed.

Of vital importance is for both leaders and members to adhere to the club’s constitution, to work diligently and behave responsibly and to ensure prudent use of financial and other resources.

Harmony and tranquility must prevail for the club to know genuine stability, which is what will help it advance with confidence and in dignity.