Dar es Salaam. If you had any doubts about how thrilling the 2025/26 Tanzanian Premier League season could be, it’s time to erase them.
The dugouts of the country’s top four clubs Simba SC, Young Africans SC (Yanga), Azam FC, and Singida Black Stars are now brimming with some of the most tactically astute and disciplined minds in African football.
The coaching landscape has shifted, and the battle of brains promises to be just as explosive as that on the pitch.
Simba’s Fadlu Davids, Yanga’s Romain Folz, Azam’s Florent Ibenge, and Singida’s returning tactician Miguel Gamondi are not your everyday managers.
They are engineers of systems, educators of discipline, and master strategists.
In a footballing era increasingly dominated by data, video analysis, and tactical nuance, these men don’t just coach matches they script outcomes before the first whistle.
No more excuses
When Fadlu Davids arrived at Simba SC, his mandate was clear: rebuild and dethrone a Yanga side basking in glory.
The “trial season” is over. Now, it’s time to deliver.
Fadlu’s preferred styles, mainly the 4-2-3-1 and occasionally 4-3-3 formations, revolve around quick attacking transitions, positional rotations, and width that stretches defences.
His teams attack from the front, with right-backs like Shomari Kapombe often doubling as wingers.
In the No 10 role, Charles Jean Ahoua has been key dictating the final passes and scoring himself.
His midfield philosophy demands a double pivot two defensive midfielders who can not only break up play but also initiate attacks with precision.
Last season, Yusuph Kagoma and Fabrice Ngoma filled this role with tactical discipline.
Now, Ngoma’s shoes are expected to be filled by Alassane Maodo Kanté, the new signing from Tunisia’s CA Bizertin.
Simba have bolstered their squad significantly, including the arrival of red-hot striker Jonathan Sowah, whose goal-to-game ratio is already causing a stir.
For Fadlu, this is a make-or-break season. With the tools at hand, it’s “win or go home.”
Heir to the crowned throne
Taking charge of Yanga is never easy—let alone after back-to-back domestic trebles.
But Romain Folz, affectionately known as “Foh-Foh,” is walking into the hottest coaching seat in Tanzania with confidence and ideas.
The young tactician is known for his vertical football philosophy, emphasizing calm, sustained possession, but with the aim of slicing directly through the heart of opposition defences.
He favours a variant of the 4-2-3-1, but not the usual setup. His No.10 often operates as a false nine, while wide attackers cut inside, leaving fullbacks to burst forward in attack.
Folz demands intellectual engagement from his players.
His game is a mental test requiring midfielders who can thread line-breaking passes, centre-backs (like Dickson Job and Ibrahim Bacca) who read space intelligently, and strikers like Prince Dube or Clement Mzize who stretch defences without the ball.
Unlike Simba, Yanga’s squad remains mostly intact.
Folz’s true task is integration, blending a few new faces into a finely tuned machine while subtly tweaking its rhythm.
He’s inheriting a kingdom; now he must prove he can expand it.
The African general arrives
Florent Ibenge is not just a coach; he’s a continental icon. Former DR Congo national team boss, winner of CAF competitions, and a symbol of tactical excellence, Ibenge’s arrival at Azam FC marks a cultural and competitive shift.
He leans on either a 3-5-2 or a 4-1-4-1 system, tailored to control midfield battles and neutralize stronger opponents.
His defense operates in three layers pressing, screening, and deep-blocking while the midfield consists of a destroyer, a distributor, and a long-range shooter.
Every piece in his puzzle has a function, chosen as much for mentality as for talent.
Azam’s challenge isn’t talent it’s mentality.
Ibenge is here to inject grit and competitive hunger into a club known for its finesse but lacking the edge in decisive moments.
His mission goes beyond trophies: he’s rebuilding the club’s soul.
The return of the revolutionary
After a somewhat controversial exit from Yanga, Miguel Gamondi returns to Tanzanian football, now at the helm of a rebranded and hungry Singida Black Stars.
For a coach who was only beginning to imprint his philosophy at Yanga, this is unfinished business.
Gamondi is all about high-speed offensive football fast attacks before the opposition can reorganize, followed by disciplined recovery.
He alternates between a fluid 4-3-3 and a narrow 4-4-2 diamond, featuring a deep-lying playmaker at the base and versatile forwards who drift inside and out.
Despite losing Sowah, Singida’s transfer activity has been silent but strategic.
With a local-based preseason and ambition to break into the “big four,” Gamondi is setting the foundation for a powerful comeback.
For him, this season is personal a mission to prove that coaches, not just players, shape league outcomes.
The era of coaches is here
For years, Tanzanian football narratives revolved around players.
But that chapter is shifting. This season, the coaches will be the protagonists.
Their tactical blueprints, man-management skills, and ability to respond to pressure will determine titles, heartbreaks, and glory.
Welcome to modern football. Welcome to a season of ideas, structure, and resilience.
Here, results will no longer depend solely on who runs fastest or kicks hardest, but who thinks best on and off the pitch.
