Yanga, Simba derby postponed indefinitely

Dar es Salaam. The much-anticipated Tanzania Mainland Premier League clash between traditional arch-rivals Young Africans (Yanga) and Simba, scheduled for today, March 8, 2025, at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, has been postponed indefinitely.

The match, originally set to kick off at 7.17pm, was called off following a meeting by the Tanzania Premier League Board (TPLB).

The decision came after Simba issued a statement declaring they would not participate in the encounter, citing an incident where Yanga fans allegedly prevented their players from conducting a final training session at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium on Friday, March 7, 2025, despite league regulations permitting them to do so.

This marks the second time TPLB has postponed a match involving the two teams. On May 8, 2021, the board also rescheduled a Yanga vs. Simba fixture after changes to the kickoff time led to disagreements. That match was initially set for 5:00 PM but was later moved to 7:00 PM, a decision Yanga opposed.

Simba’s protest and Yanga’s stance

Ahead of the latest postponement, Simba released a statement in the early hours of Saturday, March 8, 2025, confirming their refusal to play after being denied access to the stadium for their final training session.

Reports indicate that a group of individuals, believed to be Yanga supporters, blocked Simba’s access to the venue, leading the club to withdraw from the match.

Yanga, as the designated hosts, maintained that the game should proceed as scheduled and stated that if it did not take place on the planned date, they would not be willing to play on another day.

TPLB’s official statement

Following the controversy, TPLB released an official statement postponing the match to allow for further investigations and ensure a fair resolution.

The board confirmed that a comprehensive report on the incident would be released alongside an announcement of a new match date.

"The TPLB Committee, in its meeting held today, March 8, 2025, reviewed the case concerning Simba SC being denied access to Benjamin Mkapa Stadium for their final training session ahead of Match No. 184 of the Premier League (Yanga vs. Simba), which was scheduled to take place at 7.15pm today," the statement read.

Regarding the incident, Simba SC submitted a formal letter to the League Board outlining the events and expressing their intention to withdraw from the match due to being denied their final training session— a right granted under Article 17:45 of the Premier League Regulations.

League board’s Investigation

Upon receiving the letter, the League Board instructed match officials present at the scene to submit a detailed report on the incident. After reviewing multiple reports, including those from match officials and other sources, the Committee determined that Simba SC had exercised their right under Article 17:45 of the League Regulations.

However, the club failed to coordinate with match officials or stadium authorities before proceeding with their final training session, as required by the regulations.

Additionally, the Committee found that certain security personnel, reportedly linked to the host club, were responsible for blocking Simba SC’s entry to the stadium, which directly violated Article 17:45 of the League Regulations.

The statement further stressed that since the League Board received a security report identifying those involved in preventing Simba SC’s training, the case would be escalated to the League Management and Administration Committee for further review under Article 34:1 of the League Regulations regarding misconduct.

"The Board urges all stakeholders to remain patient as official procedures continue. A final decision on the matter will be communicated soon," the statement concluded.