At Azam Complex in Chamazi, Dar es Salaam, I watched a Ligi Kuu match and heard Ahmed Ally make a claim that was difficult to take literally. Simba’s attack, he suggested, was more dangerous than the El Niño floods that had been predicted to hit Tanzania.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsIt was an exaggeration, of course. That was precisely the point.Ally, Simba SC’s spokesman, understands that football is not always sold through team sheets, injury updates and match reports. Sometimes, you sell it with a line so outrageous that a supporter laughs, a rival gets annoyed, and somebody reaches for their phone to record it.STARS ABROAD: Olunga dazzles after first start in seven monthsBy the time that clip finds its way onto TikTok, the audience extends far beyond the people who were at Chamazi. Someone watches, shares it with a friend, argues in the comments or follows the club to see what their spokesman will say next.Another supporter buys a jersey, not merely to wear a football shirt, but to signal allegiance to a community. This is the business of modern football communication. And Tanzania has turned it into an art.Alongside Ally, Young Africans’ Ally Kamwe and Azam FC’s Hashim Ibwe have become recognisable voices in a football culture where the build-up can be almost as entertaining as the match itself. They communicate club business, feed rivalries and give supporters personalities to follow beyond the players on the pitch.##NAJAVA_MECA_10036887##Kamwe has cultivated a distinctive relationship with Yanga’s Wananchi, using humour, slogans and theatrical delivery to make club messaging memorable. At Azam, Ibwe contributes to the club’s public-facing communication in a league where the three giants understand that attention is something to be pursued, not simply expected.Their work is not just about talking. A club spokesman is a bridge between an institution and its supporters. When a club signs a player, sells tickets, changes coaches or needs to explain a difficult decision, somebody must communicate the news clearly and quickly. But the best spokesmen also understand how to make people care about the information.That is where Kenyan football has room to grow.Odhiambo opens up on handling pressure on his Gor Mahia debutGor Mahia and AFC Leopards have histories, rivalries and massive supporter bases capable of sustaining a conversation every day of the week. Yet the public-facing identity of many Kenyan clubs remains heavily dependent on match results, occasional press conferences and posts announcing what has already happened.A dedicated spokesman could change that rhythm. Imagine regular, recognisable voices giving injury updates, explaining transfer decisions, previewing derbies and responding to rival banter.Imagine a Gor Mahia versus AFC Leopards build-up that begins days before kick-off, with short videos and sharp exchanges travelling across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp.##NAJAVA_MECA_10036892##The goal would not be to manufacture controversy or turn every club official into a comedian. It would be to give supporters a reason to keep checking in.A deeper look at the trends around Tanzania’s Kariakoo Derby, the meeting between Simba and Yanga, reveals how the spectacle extends beyond the pitch. In the days surrounding the fixture, social media becomes another battleground.Club messages, interviews, predictions and playful jabs give supporters fresh material to debate and share. The conversation becomes part of the match experience, helping build anticipation before kick-off and keeping the rivalry alive after the final whistle. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ally Kamwe (@alikamwe) That noise can travel from the phone to the stadium. It can persuade a supporter to buy a ticket, wear the club jersey to work or spend an afternoon defending their team in a WhatsApp group. It can also introduce the rivalry to someone who has never attended a match. The football still has to deliver, but the invitation to care can begin online.The commercial possibilities are obvious. Every share introduces a club to a potential new follower. Every compelling video creates another opportunity to promote a fixture, a sponsor or a new jersey. And every supporter who feels closer to a club becomes a potential customer, ticket buyer and ambassador.The scale of football’s digital audience is already evident. CAF reported that AFCON Morocco 2025 generated six billion digital views and 285 million engagements across social media platforms.Adel Amrouche compares his Harambee Stars tenure to Benni McCarthy'sThose figures belong to a major continental tournament, not individual clubs, but they show what happens when football becomes a conversation that fans actively participate in.Kenya will co-host AFCON 2027 alongside Tanzania and Uganda. The tournament is an opportunity to bring more eyes to East African football. The challenge will be keeping some of that attention once the final is over and the visitors have gone home.For Kenyan clubs, that means thinking beyond the next fixture. A spokesman could become a regular source of reliable information, a familiar face in short-form videos and a personality who can sell the emotion of a derby without compromising the club’s credibility. View this post on Instagram A post shared by YANGA TV (@yangatv) Clubs could plan content around the calendar, build anticipation for big matches and give sponsors meaningful opportunities to reach supporters. They could also respond quickly when rumours spread, instead of allowing silence to become the story.Not every club needs the theatrical delivery of Ally or Kamwe. Some may prefer a more measured voice. What matters is consistency, personality and an understanding that supporters want to be included in the club’s journey, not merely informed of its decisions.Better communication will not fix stadiums, governance or the quality of the football. Nor can a spokesman’s bravado compensate for a team that consistently disappoints. But the people who explain a club, defend its ambitions and make its stories shareable can help build a more visible domestic game.Tens of millions FKF will receive from CAF's annual fundingAt Chamazi, Ahmed Ally’s comparison between Simba’s attack and a feared weather phenomenon was an obvious piece of theatre. Nobody needed to believe it literally. They only needed to remember it, repeat it and pass it on.Kenyan football could use more of that instinct: not louder statements for their own sake, but voices that make supporters feel something before the referee blows the whistle.
53