Sighs of relief as ‘hapless’ Yanga beat Namungo FC

Ndina, the new akaunta at one of our neighbourhood bars, has been a devastated person.

Yeah, more so before her team, Young Africans SC, aka Yanga, “reclaimed” their respect by putting a stop to their losing streak, beating Namungo FC 2-0 on November 30.

The naturally light-skinned Ndina is an avid fan of Bongo’s erstwhile topmost soccer team, the NBC Premier League 2024/25 defending champions, Yanga.

Having been the League’s title holder for four consecutive seasons, Yanga are currently a pathetic outfit going through a rough patch, either losing or winning with difficulty.

Ndina, like all Yanga fans who fill her bar watching local and foreign football matches while enjoying alcoholic brands of their choice, has been feeling bad, not believing what’s happening to their otherwise great team.

Yeah, a team that boasts legions of fans within Bongo and beyond.

Just look. On November 2, Yanga was beaten 0-1 by Azam FC, last season’s NBC Premier League Cup first runners-up.

“Azam, a great team in its own right, has never been a threat to Yanga,” says John, the bar manager at Nina’s workplace, who adds, so, for Azam to beat Yanga, that’s big new.” John is another staunch Simba fan.

But, of course, the biggest news was on November 7, when novices Tabora United FC pulverised Yanga 3-1.

And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Bongo’s four-time consecutive Premier League champs, on November 26, received a 2-0 bashing from Sudan’s Al Hilal FC in the ongoing CAF Championship League match at the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium!

The pain amongst Yanga fans would probably be tolerable if it weren’t for the jeering and mockery by their archrivals, the Simba fans.

You should’ve heard the shouts of jubilation from Simba drinkers, with the crazed ones among them washing their heads with beer, after Sudanese striker Yasir Mozamil netted the second goal for his team in the 90th minute!

That the next day their archrivals, Simba won, albeit a narrowly (1-0), against Angolan team Bravos du Marquis. That made their pain worse.

So, when Yanga, at last, managed to stop Namungo with a 2-0 win in a Premier League match, Ndina and her ilk, which includes many of her customers, had every reason to celebrate.

“We’re recovering, yeah, so please buy me a beer today, at least,” says Ndina, who always teases me that, being a man from Kandeland, I’m stingy by nature!

My protestation to the effect that our people, the Vaasu, are just frugal and budget-minded, falls on her deaf ears.

“Aren’t you the one who should buy me a beer in celebration of your victory?” I challenge her.

“Oho! You Mzee, do you want me to die laughing?” she says, and adds while chuckling, “How do you expect a woman to buy a man beer?”

I succumb to Ndina’s intimidation and buy her one, a Sere Laiti, not a Savanna she had insisted was her favourite brand.

Mine was a congratulatory gesture to her in the wake of Yanga’s apparent recovery from the series of defeats. Ahem!