Yanga Sports Club pick New leaders.

New Young Africans Chairman, Yusuf Manji

YOUNG Africans picked their new leaders yesterday, who will lead the club for the next four years and unconfirmed reports said that Chairman Yusuf Manji had retained his post with a sweeping victory.

It was highly anticipated that Manji will retain his post after his leadership saw the club winning back to back Mainland Premier League titles as well as making it to the last eight of CAF Confederation Cup.

Manji stood unopposed. His Vice-Chairman, Clement Sanga was also reportedly to have garnered an overwhelming victory against his challenger Tito Osoro.

Hundreds of thousands of Yanga members thronged the Diamond Jubilee Hall in Dar es Salaam to pick their leaders who will manage the club for the next four years. At the looks of things, it did not promise fierce battle especially for candidates vying for the top posts.On Friday the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam dismissed the application lodged in the eleventh hour to restrain the Chairman of Yanga from conducting general election for the club’s leadership.

Principal Resident Magistrate Huruma Shaidi ruled againstthreeYangamembers,Kingamba Kingwamba, Juma Matimbwa and Siwema Chokota, after noting that the application had been lodged to sabotage the interests of justice and sports developments of the club.

“We should seek justice and not tricky things. The way I see it, this application has been made at this eleventh hour with ill motives,” the magistrate remarked, leaving the applicants and their supporters who were in court to disbelieve what was happening. He went on, “Sports are enjoyment of many people. Let us do things that are there to promote sports and not to sabotage them.

For this reasons I reject this application.” When arguing the application filed under certificate of urgency, Advocate Julius Manjeka, for the applicants, had earlier told the court that Yanga was set to hold the elections while there was a decree issued by the court on July 1, 2010, in favour of his clients, which was due for execution next Tuesday.

In the decree, he submitted, the court had ordered for appointment of a committee to take care of meetings, elections and all affairs of Yanga Registered Trustees and thus, if the elections would be conducted would be against the decree of the court.

The magistrate, however, noted that the decree of the court was issued since 2010. “If since that time nothing was done, then the decree holders slept on their rights. If anything is to be done, the decree holder should have filed execution of the decree and not coming up with this kind of application,” he said.

According to the magistrate, even the law under section 114 (1) © of the Penal Code that had been cited to back up the application, involved issues relating to contempt of court on a matter which is pending before the court of law.

To his knowledge, he said, there was a civil case no. 98 of 2010 under which the decree in question was issued was no longer pending and has already been determined.

He said that an injunctive order could be sought where there was a pending suit. “Before me there is no any pending suit upon which the application for injunction is being sought.

Application of this nature made exparte are there to seek tricky things and not justice. If anything is to be done, the orders sough should have been made within reasonable time,” he warned.

The election took place after weeks of turbulence and tugof- war between the club leadership and the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF), over the rights to organise and supervise the election.

The matter was resolved after the latter lowered down its gun and approved Yanga to conduct their election yesterday, instead of June 25, the date stated by TFF.

However, the move looked to violate the order issued by National Sports Council (NSC), which directed TFF to ensure the club’s election is conducted and supervised by the federation’s

Election Committee as per Yanga’s 2010 constitution, which the government officially recognises.