TANZANIA Football Federation (TFF) has picked August 9th and 10th this year as the dates for the semifinal matches of the Community Shield mini-tournament.
On August 9th, the defending champions Young Africans will take on Azam while a day later, Simba play Singida Fountain Gate both games to be staged at CCM Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga.
Also, the final game is slated on August 13 at the same venue when the new champions of the competition will be established and presented with their title.
Yanga and Azam are meeting at the Tanga arena barely a few months after their interface in the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) where the former won 1-0 to lift the silverware.
It will be an opportunity for the four teams to test their newly acquired players ahead of the Premier League assignments, another long trip of 30- match marathon.
There is also a possibility of witnessing early traditional derby of the 2023/24 season pitting Yanga against Simba if they manage to clear their semis hurdles.
In the past season, Yanga claimed the community shield title after defeating Simba 2-1 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
On the day, Pape Sakho drove Simba upfront midway in the first half after receiving a timely assist from Clatous Chama only for Yanga to make a spectacular comeback in the second half courtesy of Fiston Mayele’s brace.
The victory was a gateway for Yanga who went on to win other two domestic titles in the name of Premier League and Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) to complete the 2022/23 calendar with a treble.
However, the exciting part of the upcoming mini-tournament is that some players will be facing their former employers after crossing the line to join their present clubs.
Azam’s Feisal Salum is among them who for the first time will go head to head against his former team (Yanga) in a popularly known as Dar es Salaam Derby clash.
What will happen during the match nobody knows but without doubt, it is going to be a competitive match basing on the nature of the two sides.
Likewise, Joash Onyango who is alleged to have joined Singida Big Stars will take on against his former employer Simba if he gets playing time on the day.
