Simba, Azam put Geita Gold league future in uncertainty

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Mainland Premier League continues today with Kinondoni Municipal Council (KMC) hosting Singida Fountain Gate FC at the Azam Complex in Dar es Salaam.

Above all, pressure is mounting to determine the team that will join Young Africans (Yanga) in the next edition of the CAF Champions League and the two teams that will be relegated.

The KMC-Singida Fountain Gate FC encounter, which is to kick off at 7pm, will determine the statuses of the two teams in the ongoing league.

KMC, with 22 points and are placed sixth in the league table, will earn a spot in the CAF Confederation Cup if they finish in fourth place.

Currently, KMC are in battle against Tanzania Prisons, who have so far collected 33 points and are in fifth place, and against Coastal Union of Tanga, who have garnered 38 points and are placed fourth.

All three teams have played 27 games as victory for KMC will make them leapfrog Tanzania Prisons in fifth place and put pressure on Coastal Union, who will play next Tuesday against a tough Kagera Sugar side at the Kaitaba Stadium in Kagera.

For Singida Fountain Gate FC with 33 points, victory will boost their chances of remaining in the league next season, climbing up to sixth place in the league standings ahead of Dodoma Jiji FC (30 points), Kagera Sugar (31 points), JKT Tanzania (31 points), Namungo FC (31 points), and Ihefu FC who have collected 32 points.

KMC currently have a goal difference of -12 against Singida Fountain Gate FC's -9.

Regarding the CAF Champions League spot, Azam FC and Simba are battling to secure it as both teams will play against Geita Gold FC who are in danger of being relegated if they will lose all their three remaining matches.

Simba will take on Geita Gold FC on May 21 and Azam FC will face off Geita Gold FC in their final league encounter on May 28 at the Nyankumbu Stadium in Geita.

Arithmetically, either of Azam FC or Simba will need a win to finish in second place in the league standings and join Yanga in the CAF Champions League.

This means that the two teams (Azam FC and Simba) will have to register victories against Geita Gold FC, who will also be targeting to win and avoid direct relegation or participate in relegation playoffs.

If Geita Gold FC with 25 points win matches against Simba, Singida Fountain Gate FC, and Azam FC, they will accumulate 34 points and avoid relegation.

If they (Geita Gold FC) lose all their remaining matches, they will be directly relegated to the Championship and if they win over Singida Fountain Gate FC and draw against Simba and Azam FC, they will feature in the relegation playoffs.

This actually means that Simba and Azam FC put Geita Gold FC’s future in the Tanzania Mainland Premier League in uncertainty.