Yanga to play 3 build-up matches while in South Africa, depart today

Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania Mainland Premier League champions, Young Africans (Yanga), leave today for South Africa ahead of their pre-season encounters.

According to the club’s information officer, Ally Kamwe, the team will depart at 1pm and will play three build-up games while in South Africa.

Kamwe stated that the first match will be against Bundesliga side Augsburg on Saturday at the Mbombela Stadium in the Mpumalanga province at 4 pm Tanzanian time.

The fixture shows that after the Yanga match, TS Galaxy FC, also known as The Rockets, will face the Eswatini Premier League champions, Mbabane Swallows FC, at 9pm Tanzanian time.

Their second match will be against South Africa’s Premier League team, TS Galaxy, to be played on July 24 at the same venue.

According to Kamwe, the Yanga-TS Galaxy tie will be held behind closed doors, with no fans allowed to attend.

The matches will be televised live by the South African Broadcasting Corporation, which has signed an agreement with TS Galaxy FC. Additionally, Yanga will face Kaizer Chiefs on July 28 in a special tournament dubbed the Toyota Cup.

“These matches are crucial for Yanga players including new signings such as Clatous Chama, Prince Dube, and Jean Baleke to showcase their skills ahead of the next Tanzania Mainland Premier League season,” said Kamwe.

Besides Chama, Dube, and Baleke, Yanga’s list of new players includes goalkeeper Khomeini Abubakar, Aziz Andambwile from Fountain Gate FC, left-back Shadrack Boka from FC Lupopo of DR Congo, and Dube Abuya from Singida Big Stars.

The new recruits join other notable players such as Stephane Aziz Ki, Pacome Zouzoua, Djigui Diara, Kennedy Musonda, Kouassi Attohoula Yao, Khalid Aucho, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Dickson Job, Ibrahim Hamad, Mudathir Yahya, and Clement Mzize.

 Also on the list are Farid Mussa, Salum “Sure Boy” Abubakar, Jonas Mkude, Kibwana Shomari, Shekhan Ibrahim Hamis, Aboutwalib Mshery, and Dennis Nkane.

This tournament will offer Young Africans an opportunity to test their mettle in international competitions, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges ahead.

FC Augsburg will be making history by holding their first-ever summer training camp outside Europe. They will be in South Africa from July 18 to 28.

The matches would mark a nostalgic return for Yanga's attacking midfielder Stephane Aziz Ki, whose goal was disallowed against Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League quarterfinal match last season.

The incident occurred on April 5, 2024, during a tense match at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. Aziz Ki has since attracted the attention of many teams on the continent, especially that of South African and North African teams.