Billionaire businessman Dewji now says he didn’t resign from Simba
By Nahashon MusunguAfrica’s youngest billionaire Mohammed Dewji claims his Twitter account was hacked when a message appeared on Monday indicating he had resigned as chairman of Tanzanian football giants Simba SC.
In the said message, Dewji’s Twitter account had a message indicating the businessman, who is believed to be worth Sh300 billion, was not satisfied with the club’s performance.
The message was posted moments after Simba lost to mid-table club Mtibwa Sugar in the final of the regional Mapinduzi Cup tournament.
“It is a pity Simba couldn’t win. After paying salaries of close to 4 billion a year. I resign as the chair of the board and will remain as an investor. Simba nguvu moja. I will focus on developing infrastructure and a youth academy,” the tweet read.
But the businessman has now disowned the initial message.
“What happened to my accounts yesterday was unfortunate. We are going back to (competing in the) league strong,” the 44-year-old explained in a message that appeared on the same platform on Tuesday.
HUGE INVESTMENT
Dewji has invested about Sh100 million in the Tanzanian champions since officially taking over in 2017.
During that period, Simba has acquired star players such as Kenyan midfielder Francis Kahata, Rwandan forward Meddie Kagere and Ivorian defender Pascal Wawa.
The club has also built a state-of-the-art training ground in Dar es Salaam.
But the jury remains out on whether the huge investment is value for money with the club struggling to compete on the continental scene this season following an early loss to Mozambican club UD Songo.
Further, there have been reports that the Simba’s board of directors have been involved in squabbles making it difficult for Dewji to implement his vision.