The Tanzania injury blow has landed before a ball has been kicked in Uyo. Clement Mzize and Dickson Job have been ruled out of the Taifa Stars’ 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Nigeria, leaving head coach Miguel Gamondi with just 22 players for Friday’s first leg at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
The pair, both of Young Africans, did not travel with the rest of the squad to Nigeria on Monday. The Tanzania Football Federation confirmed that the club had asked for the two players to stay behind to continue their treatment, and the request was approved. TFF Director of Media and Communications Clifford Ndimbo confirmed the decision to The Citizen, which first reported the news on Monday morning.
Tanzania injury blow: Mzize and Job stay behind for treatment
Mzize, a forward who has become one of Yanga’s most reliable scorers, and Job, an experienced centre-back and one of the senior voices in the Taifa Stars dressing room, were both recalled to Gamondi’s 24-man squad after spells away from the national team. Their latest setbacks are especially frustrating because both men had only recently returned to competitive action after lengthy spells on the sidelines — Daily Post Nigeria confirmed the pair were only just back from injury when the new problems struck.
Their absence does not leave Tanzania short of numbers alone. Gamondi named a squad built heavily around Yanga and Azam FC, with five players each, and losing two Yanga regulars in one swoop cuts into the spine of the side he had planned around. The 22 players who did travel will now carry the double-header, with the return leg in Zanzibar four days after Friday’s meeting in Uyo.
Tanzania injury blow: What the absences mean for Gamondi in Uyo
For Nigeria, the news is a welcome one in a week that has already been kind to Eric Chelle’s side where the opposition is concerned. The Super Eagles are without their own talisman, Victor Osimhen, who is out for up to five weeks after knee surgery, and Chelle, who named a 24-man squad for the double-header, has had to plan without the Galatasaray striker for both legs.
Nigeria’s preparations have hardly been smooth either. The Super Eagles’ camp in Uyo was empty on Monday evening after flight delays kept the invited players away, and Chelle’s first training session is only scheduled for Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio practice pitch. Tanzania, by contrast, had planned to arrive five days early — only for their own travel plans to be hit by the same delays.
The stakes could hardly be higher. Nigeria sit second in Group L with three points from their opening two fixtures — a 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo followed by a 3-0 defeat in Guinea-Bissau — while Tanzania have just one point from their first two games. With only the group winner advancing to next summer’s finals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, both legs of this double-header carry enormous weight.
Tanzania injury blow: Nigeria’s own camp troubles before Friday
Gamondi will back the players he has. The Taifa Stars have already secured their place at the 2027 finals as co-hosts, but they will want to arrive at the tournament with momentum — and a result in Uyo would be a statement. For Chelle’s Super Eagles, Friday is a must-win in front of their own fans. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC0) — collage by SportsBuddy.
