Seven officials have been suspended over power blackout that occurred on Sunday during a CAF Confederation Cup tie between Yanga and Rivers United.
Tanzania's Ministry of Sports has suspended seven officials in charge of Benjamin Mkapa Stadium to pave the way for investigations following a blackout at the facility on Sunday.
Yanga and Rivers United were in action in a CAF Confederations Cup quarter-final second-leg clash when the lights went out in the 24th minute forcing the match to be stopped for minutes.
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The floodlight failure was attributed to a power outage, an explanation that was taken with a pinch of salt by the Permanent Secretary of Sports who, in a statement, ejected the officials from their office for embarrassing the nation.
Those suspended are Electric Engineer Manyori Kapesa, Stadium Administrative Officer, and Tuswege Nikupal, alongside stadium workers Gordon Mwangamilo Gabriel Mwasele, Yanuaria Imboru, and Christina Luambano.
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"The Permanent Secretary is already in contact with all relevant stakeholders so that the matches that will be played at the stadium will be played in the afternoon or evening instead of at night as the ministry completes the procedures to find a bidder who will carry out major repairs of the stadium before the kickoff of the next season of the league and international competitions," the statement noted as per The Citizen.
However, the Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO ) has since issued a statement denying blame for the blackout.
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"Tanesco informs you that the national stadium is served by two sources of electricity, Tanesco and the generators of the stadium. In today's match (Yanga and Rivers United), the field was served by generators," the statement reads in part.
That was the second time that lights had failed during a match at the iconic stadium after the incident that happened on March 28 when Tanzania was playing against Uganda in a 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier.