Wakati wa mechi ya soka, kulikuwa na mabishano kati ya wachezaji kuhusu nani aliyeshinda mechi.

Wakati wa means during or literally the time of.

• wakati = time / period
• wa = a connecting word meaning of

So:

• Wakati wa mechi ya soka = during the football match

In Swahili, this -a connector changes form depending on the noun class. Since wakati is in a class that takes wa, you get wakati wa ...

Mechi ya soka means a football match or soccer match.

Breakdown:

• mechi = match
• ya = of
• soka = football / soccer

So literally it is match of football.

This is a very common Swahili pattern:

• kitabu cha mwanafunzi = student’s book / book of the student
• mechi ya soka = football match

The connector here is ya because mechi belongs to a noun class that uses ya.

Kulikuwa na means there was or there were.

It is an existential structure used to say that something existed or happened.

Breakdown:

• ku- = a general subject marker often used in expressions like there was/there were
• -li- = past tense
• -kuwa = be
• na = with / there being

So:

• Kulikuwa na mabishano = There was/there were arguments

Even though mabishano is plural in meaning, Swahili still commonly uses kulikuwa na in this general existential way.

Because kulikuwa na is a standard Swahili way to say there was / there were regardless of the noun that follows.

So even with a plural noun, Swahili often uses this same structure:

• Kulikuwa na watu wengi = There were many people
• Kulikuwa na matatizo = There were problems
• Kulikuwa na mabishano = There were arguments

This is different from English, where was and were must change.

Mabishano means arguments, disputes, or quarrels.

It comes from the verb idea -bishana, which means to argue with each other.

So mabishano refers to the act or situation of arguing. In this sentence, it means there was disagreement among the players.

Kati ya means between or among.

• kati = middle / between
• ya = of
• wachezaji = players

So:

• kati ya wachezaji = among the players / between the players

In natural English here, among the players sounds especially good, even though between is also a literal translation.

Wachezaji means players.

It comes from the verb -cheza, meaning to play.

Formation:

• mchezaji = player (singular)
• wachezaji = players (plural)

This is a common noun pattern for people:

• mwalimu / walimu = teacher / teachers
• mchezaji / wachezaji = player / players

The singular/plural pair here is:

• m- singular for a person
• wa- plural for people

Kuhusu means about or concerning.

So:

• kuhusu nani aliyeshinda mechi = about who won the match

It introduces the topic of the argument.

Examples:

• Tunaongea kuhusu shule. = We are talking about school.
• Walibishana kuhusu matokeo. = They argued about the results.

Nani means who.

In this sentence, it introduces an indirect question:

• kuhusu nani aliyeshinda mechi = about who won the match

This is not a direct question like Nani alishinda mechi? = Who won the match?

Instead, it is embedded inside the larger sentence.

Aliyeshinda means the one who won or who won.

Breakdown:

• a- = subject marker for he/she
• -li- = past tense
• -ye- = relative marker, often meaning who/that
• shinda = win

So aliyeshinda literally means something like he/she who won.

In the sentence:

• nani aliyeshinda mechi = who won the match

This relative form is very common after question words like nani.

Because after nani, Swahili often uses a relative form.

Compare:

• Nani alishinda mechi? = Who won the match?
  This is a direct question.

• Walibishana kuhusu nani aliyeshinda mechi. = They argued about who won the match.
  This is an embedded question, so aliyeshinda is natural here.

The -ye- adds the idea of who/that, linking the verb more closely to nani.

Swahili often repeats the noun where English might use a pronoun.

So:

• mechi ya soka = the football match
• aliyeshinda mechi = who won the match

This repetition is completely normal and clear in Swahili. You could sometimes avoid repetition in other contexts, but here repeating mechi sounds natural.

Swahili does not have articles like English a and the.

Whether a noun means a match, the match, players, or the players depends on context.

So:

• mechi can mean a match or the match
• wachezaji can mean players or the players

In this sentence, context makes it clear that we are talking about a specific match and the players involved.

The sentence is built like this:

• Wakati wa mechi ya soka, = During the football match,
• kulikuwa na mabishano = there were arguments
• kati ya wachezaji = among the players
• kuhusu nani aliyeshinda mechi = about who won the match

So the overall structure is:

During X, there were Y among Z about ...

This is a very useful pattern for building longer Swahili sentences.

Yes, depending on context.

Possible translations include:

• arguments
• disputes
• quarrels
• disagreement

Because mabishano is plural in form and often suggests back-and-forth arguing, arguments or disputes is often the best choice here. But there was disagreement among the players could also work in natural English.

In most East African Swahili usage, soka refers to soccer / association football.

So for an American English speaker, soccer match is often the clearest translation.
For a British English speaker, football match is the natural translation.

Both are fine, depending on the variety of English you are using.