Middendorp begins new Tanzania job on Sunday

Ernst Middendorp will begin his new job in Tanzania on Sunday when he takes charge of his new club Singida Fountain Gate in the African Confederation Cup.

The ambitious Tanzanian club will host Egypt’s Future FC in the first leg of their second round tie at the Azam Complex Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam, where Mamelodi Sundowns played on Friday.

Middendorp has taken former South Africa under-20 coach Thabo Senong as his assistant to Tanzania and Thembalethu Moses as the goalkeeper coach.

The German-born coach has spent the majority of his coaching career in South Africa but last season walked out on Swallows to return to his home country to take over at Meppen in the German third division

He was unable to save the team from relegation and left them in August with a long list of complaints that he sent to German newspapers.

He was back in South Africa and spotted watching his old club Kaizer Chiefs in action earlier this month but has since moved to Tanzania.

Stars are competing in Africa club competition for the first time and already come through the first round of the Confederation Cup over Zanzibari club Jeshi la Kujena Uchimi, winning 4-3 on aggregate.

Middendorp replaces the veteran Dutch coach Hans van der Pluijm, who has been a long-term feature in East African football. He was sacked after the first two games of the new Tanzanian season ended in goalless draws.

Sinigda are a relatively new club, formed in 2010 and only winning promotion in 2022 and finishing fourth in their maiden season, enough to secure a place in continental competition.