Kaze says Mainland Premier League title race ‘is still open’
What you need to know:
- Simba SC need five points in order to tie with Yanga FC in the league’s standings. Azam FC need 11 points to also tie with the leaders, Yanga - while Azam FC need six points to tie with Simba in the standings
Dar es Salaam. Young Africans (Yanga) head coach, Cedric Kaze, has said the title race is still open despite the fact that the club is leading in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League’s standings.
Yanga have so far collected 44 points from 18 matches, and will be in action on Saturday facing Mbeya City at the Sokoine Stadium in Mbeya Region. The league’s defending champions, Simba, are in second place, with 39 points from 17 matches. Azam FC are third, with 33 points.
Speaking yesterday, Kaze said that, currently, there is no club that is guaranteed to win the championship, although the three top clubs have a good chance of securing the trophy.
Simba need five points to equal Yanga, while Azam need 11 points to equal Yanga in the standings - and six points to tie with second-placed Simba in the league’s standings.
“We have 16 matches to the end of the season - and, in those matches, we are looking for 48 points. That’s a lot of points in a competitive league - not only for Yanga, but also for Simba against whom we are closely competing,” said Kaze.
Teams like Azam and Biashara Mara United also have a chance to catch up in the title race although they clearly have fewer points compared to Yanga and Simba. Biashara is placed fourth in the standings, with 29 points.
“Sixteen matches are still many. But, the fact of the matter is that our aim is to win all the matches. That’s why we have strategised to play every match as if it were the final match! We are doing this because we want to win the title,” said Kaze.
If Yanga win all their remaining matches, they would collect 92 points in all, while Simba would collect 90 points. “It is difficult to guarantee the championship for any team. But - as I have said - Yanga, Simba, Azam or Biashara Mara United can win the title. Even though we are well-organized, we must fight hard, and we have set goals to score in every match and win. At the end of the season, we will count the points and see if we have achieved what we set to achieve,” said Kaze.
He also said that they are aware that the second round of the Mainland Tanzania Premier League will be tough, as each team seeks victory. Indeed, there are club teams that are struggling to avoid relegation from the Premier League, while other teams are fighting tooth and nail to win the title. “Every match in this round will be tough and we have prepared for that. We need to be more focused in this round,” Kaze concluded.
