DAR ES SALAAM, July 5 -- SOME seasons end with a trophy presentation, while others end with half the country pretending not to be hurt while loudly explaining why hurt is actually progress.

The NBC Premier League has come to an end; Young Africans have lifted a fifth consecutive title, and Tanzanian football is now in that delicate Sunday condition where winners are polishing silverware and losers are polishing explanations.

At Major General Isamuhyo Stadium in Dar es Salaam, the party briefly misplaced its smile when Pacôme Zouzoua, Yangas Ivorian conductor, went down after a collision with JKT Tanzanias Hassan Wahabi.

The drums slowed, the vuvuzelas developed manners and a few Yanga supporters remembered God with the urgency of ...