Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli has renamed the National Stadium to Mkapa Stadium in honour of the late former President Benjamin William Mkapa.
Mkapa passed away on July 24 after a short illness and was the third President of the East Africa nation. In his address, the current Head of State admitted the late Mkapa loved sports and many wanted the facility he built to be named after him.
"In sports and art, [the late Mkapa] made a huge contribution," Magufuli said in his address to the nation.
"I have heard he was an ardent fan of Yanga SC, although I personally never heard him declare it publicly.
"Tanzanians will not forget Mkapa for building them a sports stadium. Many want the facility to be renamed Mkapa Stadium. I understand Mkapa never wanted facilities to be named after him.
"However, because of the many messages I have received, and because [Mkapa] is currently sleeping [in death] and he cannot take action against me, I have now decided the facility will now be referred to as Mkapa Stadium.
"It is the only way we can honour and remember him for the contribution he had for the growth of sports in the country."
When he was still alive and at the helm of the country, the Ndanda-born Mkapa promised to build a state-of-the-art stadium before the end of his tenure in 2005, stating it was embarrassing for the country not to have a modern arena.
The project was actualised with a $60 million payment and as a result, a multi-purpose stadium was built in Dar es Salaam.
The 60,000-seater stadium was opened in 2007 and hosted a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between Taifa Stars and Mozambique, a match the visitors won by a solitary goal scored by Manuel Jose Luis Bucuane after just eight minutes.
The Stadium also hosted English Premier League side Everton on July 13, 2017.
The Merseyside outfit played Kenyan Premier League (KPL) giants Gor Mahia in an international friendly that ended 2-1 in favour of the Toffees.
Wayne Rooney and Kieran Dowell scored for Everton with Jacques Tuyisenge getting a consolation for K'Ogalo.