Yanga, Simba clash set for June 15 despite ongoing dispute
What you need to know:
- The derby will kick off at 5pm on June 15 at the 60,000-seater Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Dar es Salaam. The highly anticipated Mainland Premier League clash between traditional rivals Young Africans (Yanga) and Simba SC has been rescheduled to take place on June 15, 2025, at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) and the Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB) had controversially postponed the match, which was originally scheduled for March 8, 2025.
The decision sparked a strong reaction from Yanga, who filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), demanding to be awarded a victory on grounds that the postponement violated league regulations.
However, CAS dismissed Yanga’s appeal, stating that the club had not exhausted all local judicial channels before seeking international arbitration. The ruling directed Yanga to follow domestic procedures before taking the case to CAS.
In response, the Jangwani-based club issued a stern statement, declaring they would not participate in the rescheduled match against their archrivals. The club cited a lack of confidence in TFF's judicial bodies and accused local football authorities of making biased decisions against them.
Despite Yanga's stance, the new fixture released today, May 6, 2025, by the TPLB confirms that the derby will kick off at 5pm on June 15 at the 60,000-seater Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
The updated schedule also indicates that the 2024/2025 Mainland Premier League season will conclude on June 22, 2025.
The match remains one of the most watched and emotionally charged fixtures in Tanzanian football, and fans across the country will now await to see if Yanga will uphold their threat or return to the pitch for the historic clash.
