Tanzania have lost two players from their plans for the November meetings with Nigeria, with Clement Mzize and Dickson Job ruled out of the Taifa Stars’ trip after injuries forced them to remain at Young Africans for treatment, Footynaija.com reports.
Both players were included in Miguel Gamondi’s original 24-man squad for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header, but the coach will now have to prepare for the Super Eagles without the Yanga duo.
Their absence follows a request from Yanga to the Tanzania Football Federation, asking that the players continue their recovery under the club’s medical department. And according to The Citizen, TFF media and communication director Clifford Ndimbo has confirmed that the federation had accepted the request.
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The development comes at an important point in Tanzania’s preparations. Gamondi had included five Yanga players in his original selection, making the Dar es Salaam club one of the biggest contributors to his squad. Mzize and Job are now unavailable, leaving the coach with fewer options from that group.
Gamondi has other concerns to address
However, the injuries may not be as serious a setback as the initial squad change suggests. According to the report, both players had spent considerable time out of action and had only recently returned to football. Their call-ups would have been their first for the Taifa Stars since regaining fitness.
Tanzania also have a different objective from Nigeria in the qualifying campaign. As co-hosts of the 2027 AFCON alongside Kenya and Uganda, they have already secured their places at the finals. The remaining Group L qualification ticket is contested by Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau and Madagascar.
The Taifa Stars have collected only one point from their opening two matches, following a 2-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau and a 1-1 draw with Madagascar. Nigeria, meanwhile, have three points after beating Madagascar 2-1 before losing 3-0 in Guinea-Bissau.
The Super Eagles host Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on November 13, before travelling for the return fixture in Zanzibar on November 17.
