South African coaches Steve Barker and Manqoba Mngqithi will come face to face at the start of the new Tanzanian season when arch rivals Simba and Young Africans meet in the Community Shield on 12 August, the Tanzania Football Federation has announced.
Mngqithi has taken over as coach of champions Yanga for the new season while Barker has been at Simba since January. They finished second behind Yanga in the league standings in June despite winning their last 10 games in a row, including the Tanzanian Cup.
The season curtain-raiser comes two days before the league kicks off. The derby between the two Dar-es-Salaam clubs is regarded as one of the biggest in African football.
The Tanzanian season will run thorough until 16 May, giving the national team one month to prepare for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations finals, which they are co-hosting with neighbours Kenya and Uganda.