TPLB reschedules Dar Derby fixture
TANZANIA Premier League Board (TPLB) has amended the 2022-23 league fixtures in the changes that include the Dar es Salaam Derby between Simba and Young Africans pegged on April 9th at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Announcing the changes on Friday in the city was the board’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Almasi Kasongo who named several reasons which have contributed to the changes.
He cited the 2023 Mapinduzi Cup set to begin tomorrow at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar as among the reasons which have compelled them to twist the league fixture.
“We highly acknowledge Mapinduzi Cup and as such; our league will be paused for at least ten days to pave way for the tournament of which, we have deployed five teams from the top flight league.
“Because of this, we expect the 20th round of the Premier League to resume on January 13th which is the date when Mapinduzi Cup will end,” said Kasongo.
He also pointed out that the qualification of Simba and Yanga in group stages of CAF Champions League (CAF CL) and CAF Confederation Cup (CAF CC) respectively has also forced them to redraft the league timetable.
“In our new fixture, we have assumed that both Simba and Yanga will reach in the finals of the two contests in order to come up with a clear fixture and if they fail to achieve that, then further changes will be made.
“We shall have 11 weeks for the CAF Interclub games of which, 6 weeks will be for the group stage matches, 4 weeks for the quarterfinals and semifinals while one week is for the finals.
“The CAF CL and CAF CC games are expected to begin on February 12th whose two finals will be played in May between 19th and 21st apiece,” he said.
Adding, he said the new fixture has also taken into account FIFA dates whereby Taifa Stars will engage Uganda in a two legged back to back Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers between March 20th and 28th.
“We know that before the matches, Taifa Stars will need to pitch camp to thoroughly prepare and all that has been accommodated in the new fixture,” insisted Kasongo.
Moreover, the CEO said the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) which is now in the round of 32 has also been considered in the fresh fixture so that all the matches unfold without problems.
