Soccer game between Dar Simba and Dodoma policiei

Time for another story. Its the same day, but so much is happening here.

So, its 3.30 pm on 26 April, 2009. Dan called for two taxis, we negotiated TSH 3000 for a 3 km distance. We reached Jamuri Stadium only to figure out a large crowd was waiting to get their tickets. The cheer that we could hear was showing the enthusiasm. The game between Dar Es Salaam Simba and Dodoma Police was underway.
Simba is one of the most favorites teams in Tanzania, and needed a must win in order to keep them in tournament. Dodoma Police were the local favorites. So, we got to see a good mix of supporters.
So, we (7 aliens - Sean, Dan, Sindu, Beth, Denise, Roku and I) were standing there wondering how to get tickets. The long queue didnt seem to move and there was chaos all around. We figured out that tickets were sold at one counter, but everyone was huddling to get the tickets. And I decided to volunteer to fight the battle. I handed my Wallet, goggle to Dan and then pushed myself into the crowd that was trying to grab the few tickets available. With some brutal force I could stand my ground and get my hands till the window, and probably my appearance helped my grab the attention of the ticket distributor. I won those precious 7 soccer game tickets for 14000 TSH. It was the 'V' moment of my trip so far.
So, we get in and find a huge crowd cheering every move in the game. Soccer is like a religion here. Wherever you go, you see people watching the soccer games. And this was an experience for us to see the live action.
Dodoma police were good in first half. They made quite a lot of attempts to score but could not convert any. But it was Simba that had the final laugh (Simba is Swahili word for Lion). They were simply unstoppable. They scored 2 goals and conceded none. I must appreciate the goal keeper of Dodoma police. He had saved a couple of very good shots. I was lucky to capture one in my camera.
The rain made its presence felt. We had a few panicking moments, but we preferred to stay our ground. Afterall we had no other option.
So, the final score was Simba 2 - Dodoma Police 0. Simba has a huge fan following. The celebration was worth mentioning. The crowd lifted the striker of Simba team and carried him held high for a short procession.
And thats the end of story. We rushed back to our hotel to share our experiences with others who missed the party.