Mashujaa FC to retain players for 2023/24 Premier League   

The Kigoma-based team garnered promotion to the top-tier football after grabbing a 4-1 aggregate victory over Mbeya City FC to complete a 16-team log that will battle for the league’s glory in the 2023/24 season.

In the first-leg playoff at Lake Tanganyika Stadium in Kigoma, Mashujaa secured a hard-earned 3-1 success, while in the second-leg showdown at Sokoine Stadium in Mbeya, they cherished a 1-0 victory.

Records show that the last time Kigoma’s team competed in the Mainland Tanzania Premier League was in 2004 through Reli Kigoma, which did not finish the league and was relegated on July 5 of the same year after violating league regulations.

The gaffer said that they will avoid the tendency of some football teams which normally drop players that fought hard to help such clubs get promotion to the top flight in favour of new players.

He said that he will add a few players ahead of the 2023/24 Mainland Premier League season because his team boasts talented players.

“I will recruit a few players ahead of the next season, we have just secured the chance to feature in the league, and I have my proposal already submitted to the leaders who will work on it, I will never drop players and register the new ones,” Mingange noted.

He said that they expect the outfit to get strong opposition from other Premier League clubs but they will prepare the team to perform wonders.

“There is a big difference between the Championship League and the Premier League, I have experience on the matter, so I will prepare my team accordingly,” he said.

The team’s promotion to the Premier League has assured Kigoma football fans of witnessing the NBC Premier League next season after waiting for 19 years.

Mashujaa FC qualified to feature in the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Championship Division with 49 points from 28 matches.

The club's promotion completes the NBC Premier League lineup for the next season. The team joins Kitayosce FC, and JKT Tanzania which garnered automatic promotion to the top flight based on their impressive results in the just-ended Championship League.

Mbeya City FC joined Polisi Tanzania and Ruvu Shooting, which faced direct relegation to Championship League after occupying the two bottom places in the 2022/23 NBC Premier League.