Uphill tasks for Yanga, Azam in Federation Cup quarters

Dar es Salaam. Young Africans and Azam FC face challenging tasks ahead of their quarterfinal matches of the CRDB Federation Cup, scheduled for May 2 and 4 respectively at different venues.

Yanga, the defending champions, will host Tabora United, while Azam FC will host Namungo FC. The winners of the competition will secure a ticket to represent the country in the African football governing body (CAF)’s Confederation Cup.

Also in the quarterfinals fixture are Coastal Union against Geita Gold FC and Ihefu FC vs Mashujaa FC. The matches are expected to be tough due to the teams' previous results.

Yanga won 1-0 over Tabora United in the Tanzania Mainland Premier League thrilling match held on December 23, 2023 at the Jamhuri Stadium in Dodoma.

 The match was a seesaw affair whereby Tabora United, despite the loss, played well and cornered Yanga, who scored their goal through a free kick taken by Stephane Aziz Ki. Yanga are at the top of the Tanzania Mainland Premier League with 55 points from 21 matches, while Tabora United are placed 14th with 22 points from 22 matches. Yanga qualified for the quarterfinals of the competition after eliminating Dodoma Jiji FC by a 3-0 victory, while Tabora United won 3-0 over Singida Fountain Gate FC.

The winner between Yanga and Tabora United will face the winner between Ihefu FC and Mashujaa FC.

The Azam-Namungo match is also expected to be tough following the results of the two teams in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League.

In the first leg of the Mainland League, Namungo won 3-1 at the Azam Complex, and in the second leg Azam FC won 2-0 at the Majaliwa Stadium on April 14, 2024.

The encounter will be unpredictable as both teams will be targeting silverware in the competition. In their journey to the quarterfinals, Namungo FC eliminated Kagera Sugar on penalties, winning 5-3, while Azam FC won 3-0 over Mtibwa Sugar.

The winner between Azam FC and Namungo will meet the winner between Coastal Union and Geita Gold FC.

Speaking after the draw, Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) official Baraka Kizuguto said the semifinal matches are scheduled to take place on May 17 and 18 at venues to be announced later.

According to Kizuguto, the final match has been scheduled to take place at the Tanzanite Stadium in Babati, Manyara Region, on June 2.

“We received a request from Manyara Region for hosting the final match, and we agreed. We are going to ensure the stadium is in good shape before the encounter,” the TFF official explained.