Azam FC have received a major boost after two of their foreign players finally arrived in Dar es Salaam ahead of their second match after the resumption of the Mainland Premier League.
The ‘Ice Cream Makers’ were the only team in the top-flight yet to receive most of their foreign players, who relocated to their native countries when the league was halted in mid-March owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
But after managing to secure a chartered flight for Ugandan midfielder Nicolas Wadada, the club has now confirmed the arrival of Zimbabwean players Bruce Kangwa and Never Tigere.
The two players arrived in Dar es Salaam on Monday after managing to manoeuvre their way from Harare, as Zimbabwe is still under lockdown owing to Covid-19.
“We can now confirm left-back Kangwa and striker Tigere have joined our camp ahead of the next match,” Azam confirmed on their official Facebook page.
Next Match
“The two players were still stranded in Zimbabwe despite our efforts to have them return to the country owing the strict rules put in place to help curb the spread of the virus.”
Azam further confirmed that only three players – Ghanaians Razack Abalora, Daniel Amoah, and Yakubu Mohammed - are now missing from the squad.
“We are now waiting for the trio to have a full house because we already received [Wadada from Uganda] last week,” the club further revealed.
The arrival of the players will excite coach Aristica Cioaba who in an earlier interview confessed that their absence will affect the team’s display in the league and also the FA Cup.
“It will be difficult for us to win matches without our key players, which includes our number one goalkeeper,” Cioaba told reporters.
“I have already started planning without them [the seven players], I don’t think they will be able to make it here in time for the first matches, it is a huge headache for me, but something coaches have to go through.”
Azam, who beat Mbao FC 2-0 in their first league match on Sunday, are currently second on the league table behind leaders Simba SC, and are also in the quarter-finals of the domestic Cup.
