AfricaPress-Tanzania: YOUNG Africans have said they are unfazed with the decision by the Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) to shift the traditional derby match date from February 20th to May 8th this year.
Initially, the derby pitting the traditional rivals, Simba against Yanga was planned to be held on February 20th but the TPLB had recently rescheduled the game to May 8th.
The match usually draws attentions of millions of Tanzanian football fans whenever the two giant clubs meet. Though the statement from the league body could not elaborate much on the reasons behind the date shifting, it is evident that it could be resulted to Simba’s tough campaign in the CAF Champions League assignments.
However, commenting on the changes recently was Yanga Head Coach Cedric Kaze who said for them, they are always ready to face any opponent who comes on their way.
“If the match has been rescheduled to May 8th, there is nothing we can do because that is the duty of TPLB. We are simply ready for any match to play anytime,” he said.
This season, the two teams have already met twice with the first game being in the top flight league while the second one was in the 2021 Mapinduzi Cup finals which took place in Zanzibar. A 1-1 draw was the output from the league match which saw Simba equalising late to claim one point courtesy of a piercing header from defender Joash Onyango who cancelled Micheal Saprong’s penalty goal.
During Mapinduzi Cup, the outcome after normal 90 minutes of play was a goalless draw thereby forcing penalty shootouts to declare the title winners of which Yanga triumphed following a 4-3 victory.
Last season, the Kariakoo giants met three times of which two meetings were in the league while the third one was in the semifinals of Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) which Simba won 4-1 to cruise into the finals.
In two league duels, the first clash elapsed 2-2 while the second one ended 1-0 in favour of Yanga with Bernard Morrison scoring the solitary goal on the day via a set piece.
This season, there is a big chance for the explosive traditional derby to be witnessed four times in case the two side will meet somewhere in the ASFC contest.
