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Revealed: How Mavunde led Young African FC through storms to financial recovery
What you need to know:
- Someone sent President John Magufuli a message questioning whether Mr Mavunde was serving as a Deputy Minister or as Yanga’s chairman, suggesting he was dedicating excessive time to the football club. President Magufuli fowarded the message to Mr Mavunde. The message stung him but the criticism just motivated him more
Dar es Salaam. The 2018/19 season is one Young Africans SC (Yanga) fans would rather erase from memory—a year when their beloved club faced its toughest financial crisis yet.
As bills piled up and the team struggled to function, hope began to fade.
In the midst of it all, one man stepped forward to lead the rescue mission: Anthony Mavunde, now Tanzania’s minister of Minerals.
Then a Deputy Minister and a passionate Yanga fan, Mavunde was handed the unenviable task of heading a fundraising committee.
“The club was literally on its knees,” recalls sports analyst Hassan Mtambaze.
“It was either find a way to raise funds or risk Yanga becoming history. The stakes were that high.”
Speaking to The Citizen in an exclusive interview, Mr Mavunde vividly remembered the challenges.
“I was given a very heavy responsibility,” he said.
“I still recall someone posting in a Yanga WhatsApp group, questioning why I was chosen over more prominent names. They didn’t think I could pull it off.”
Instead of breaking under pressure, Mr Mavunde turned the criticism into motivation.
“That comment became my fuel,” he said with a grin. “I told myself, ‘I’ll show them!’”
But the journey was anything but smooth.
One incident still lingers in his memory.
“Someone sent a message to the President, questioning whether I was a Deputy Minister or Yanga’s Chairman because they thought I was spending too much time on the club,” he revealed.
He admits the message stung.
“President Magufuli forwarded it to me,” he said.
“But it only pushed me to work harder. The idea of ‘Wiki ya Mwananchi’ (Mwananchi Week) was born during that time. When the President called to commend the energy and excitement it brought to fans across the country, I felt a sense of pride.”
With Mavunde at the helm, Yanga members rallied together.
Contributions poured in from fans, players, and even ordinary citizens who loved the club.
The funds didn’t just save Yanga; they laid the foundation for the club’s revival.
“Today, Yanga is thriving, and it’s because of the collective effort spearheaded by Mavunde and the committee,” said sports historian Jackson Ndyetabula.
“What he did was remind everyone that Yanga is more than a club—it’s a family.”
From Parliament to the pitch
Beyond the fundraising, Mavunde is no stranger to the pitch.
As a key midfielder for the Tanzanian Parliament’s football team, he has his own unforgettable memories.
“One match against the Ugandan Parliament in Arusha was pure chaos,” he chuckled.
“Uganda thought the referee was on our side, and it almost turned into a brawl. The tension even spilled into our meetings afterward—we had to sit separately!”
Mr Mavunde jokes that the most controversial moment was when their defender, wearing jersey number 3, blatantly handled the ball.
“The referee waved play on, and Uganda lost it!” he said, laughing.
Looking back, Mavunde believes those difficult days taught him resilience.
“It wasn’t about me,” he said.
“It was about Yanga. The club gave me strength, and I gave it everything I had.”
Today, Yanga stands as a testament to the power of unity and determination.
From financial ruin to regional dominance, the club’s journey would be incomplete without Mavunde and the fans’ pivotal role.
And for Yanga fans? The message is clear: tough times don’t last, but tough teams—and tough leaders—do.
