On December 9 1995 in Kampala the Zanzibar team scored a historic victory in the East and Central African Senior Soccer Challenge by beating the Uganda Kobs 1-0 and taking the cup for the first time. The Zanzibar team had earlier won matches against Rwanda 2-1, and Ethiopia 5-4 after a penalty shootout. They had been beaten by Kenya 0-2.

Zanzibaris forgot about politics briefly when the victorious team arrived home to a massive welcome. Each of the 18 players was promised a Shsl.2 million motor cycle and President Amour awarded Shs 1 million each to goalkeeper Rifat Said and striker Victor Bambo for their outstanding performances.

And then, on January 6 Tanzanians were celebrating again. Simba Sports Club retained its East and Central Africa Soccer Clubs title by defeating, with difficulty, the Rwandese Patriotic Army team by 1-0.

JOHN FASHANU IN TANZANIA
British soccer star John Fashanu visited Tanzania in February as a UNICEF Ambassador for the AIDS Awareness Campaign and received considerable publicity. One of his first appointments was at the Karume Stadium where he officiated at a street children’s football match. Later he said that he wondered why Tanzania, with a population of 28 million, failed to feature in the African Cup of Nations final in South Africa.