Yanga President, Engineer Hersi Said, has expressed pride in his achievements as the leader of one of Tanzania’s biggest football institutions — accomplishments that have seen him trusted to serve as the Chairman of the African Clubs Association (ACA) and now appointed as a member of the FIFA Competitions Committee.
Speaking to journalists at the Gymkhana grounds earlier today, Hersi said his work with Yanga has proven that young people are capable of achieving great things when given the opportunity.
“Today is a very special day for me. I sincerely thank all the stakeholders who came out today. I saw the importance of organizing this significant occasion — not just for me personally, but for the broader benefit of Tanzanian football. We’ve faced many challenges since stepping into football, but in a special way, we’ve managed to overcome them.”
“I remember in 2020, Mr. Ghalib told me he had been invited to contribute to the club. That invitation came through Antony Mavunde, and it became the spark for major changes at the club. We succeeded in winning the jersey supply tender. Later, I realized that investment in kits would not bear fruit if the club’s performance was inconsistent. We therefore saw the need to strengthen the team by signing players. We brought in four players — Ditram Nchimbi, Haruna Niyonzima, and Bernard Morrison among them.”
“We found the club in a very difficult state. We moved the team from the hotel they were staying in, found a better training ground, and increased the club’s value. But we also realized that the costs were very high. I told Mr. Ghalib that we needed to find a long-term strategy that would help the club achieve financial independence. At that time, GSM was supporting the club in almost everything at their own expense, so we saw the importance of reducing that dependency.”
“My father was a big Yanga fan. I decided to run for leadership within this club because I truly wanted to help it. At first, I faced challenges of being underestimated because of my age — it was difficult for a man in his thirties to be elected president of such an old and prestigious club. I urge football stakeholders to trust the youth,” said Hersi.
