Mwinyi to relaunch renovated Amaan Stadium December 27 | The Citizen

Dar es Salaam. Zanzibar President Hussein Ali Mwinyi is expected to be the guest of honour in a special match to relaunch the renovated Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar.

The encounter, which will pit Zanzibar’s national football team (Zanzibar Heroes) and Mainland Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro Boys, has been scheduled to take place on December 27 from 8pm, according to Zanzibar Football Federation (ZFF) president Suleiman Mahmoud Jabir.

Jabir said all preparations are complete and Zanzibar Heroes will be under head coach Hemed Morocco.

He said they are expecting a colourful ceremony and both teams are scheduled to set up camp today.

“President Mwinyi has confirmed his presence to relaunch the Amaan Stadium and witness a special match ahead of the Mapinduzi Cup football tournament,” said Jabir.

The Amaan Stadium is expected to be among the arenas that will  host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals to be co-hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Meanwhile, teams featuring for the Mapinduzi Cup are expected to arrive in Zanzibar from today ahead of the tournament.

The competition, which will feature the giants of the East Africa, will start on December 28 with the defending champions, Mlandege FC, facing Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) from 4pm.

Another opening match, to kickoff at 8.15pm, will see Chipukizi clashing with Azam FC. Jabir said all the teams will be targeting the silverware in the tournament expected to be thrilling.

“The competition is eagerly being awaited because all the teams comprise top players, who will be targeting the silverware,” said Jabir.

The fixture shows that football giants in the country, Yanga, will kick off their campaign against Bandari from Mombasa, Kenya, on December 31, while their arch-rivals, Simba, will open their curtain on January 1, 2024, against Jamhuri of Zanzibar.

Yanga, who are in Group C, will play again on January 2, against KVZ and conclude the group stage by facing Vital’O of Burundi on January 4.

As for Simba, who are in group B, will play against Singida Fountain Gate FC on January 3, and then face APR of Rwanda on January 5.

The fixture also shows that on December 29, Burundi’s giants Vital’O will meet Bandari, and Jamhuri will host Singida Fountain Gate FC.

On December 30, two more matches will be played, with URA facing Chipukizi United of Zanzibar, and Azam FC taking on Mlandege FC, while on December 31 Vital’O will clash with KVZ.

Another match scheduled for January 1, apart from the one between Jamhuri and Simba, will be between Singida and APR, while on January 2, URA will play against Azam FC.

On January 3 will also see APR taking on Jamhuri and Mlandege FC playing against Chipukizi United on January 4.

The group stage matches will conclude on January 5, with KVZ facing Bandari, and the quarter-finals will start on January 7 to 8, with the semi-finals to be played on January 10 and the final is set for January 13.