Spokesperson for Singida Black Stars, Hassan Masanza, has stated that Simba SC did not pay any amount of money to acquire their striker Jonathan Sowah—he was given to them for free.
Masanza boasted that no club could afford to buy the striker, claiming his value exceeds TSh 2 billion.
"I’m the spokesperson of a big institution, so I can’t say something that isn’t true. What happened is that Simba showed interest in Sowah, and due to the good relationship between our patron Hon. Dr. Mwigulu Nchemba and Simba’s Honorary President, we allowed them to talk to the player about his personal terms, and then we gave him away for free without receiving any payment," said Masanza.
"You know, our patron is a senior government leader, and he decided to make his contribution to Simba, just as he has done for other clubs," added Masanza.
An official statement released by Singida Black Stars earlier today confirmed that Sowah had joined Simba through a special agreement.
Yanga SC had been linked with Sowah for a long time, and the player himself had openly expressed his desire to play for Yanga, even referring to Yanga President Engineer Hersi Said as a father figure in Tanzania.
However, Yanga abandoned plans to sign Sowah, reportedly due to concerns over his disciplinary record, which has previously been problematic for the teams he has played for.
Sowah was shown a red card in the final of the CRDB Cup against Yanga after receiving a second yellow card for arguing with referee Ahmed Arajiga.
Football stakeholders are now watching closely to see if the claims that Singida BS is a feeder club for Yanga will persist, especially after the club’s spokesperson confirmed they gave their striker to Simba for free following an agreement between their patron and Simba's Honorary President.
