ENCOUNTERS between Yanga and Simba SC are renowned for being gripping battles and last Saturday’s confrontation at the magnificent Benjamin Mkapa stadium was indisputably no exception.

Heading into the high-stakes clash, the two teams were occupying contrasting positions in the league standings, which of course meant that a lot was on the line.

Indeed, whereas Simba SC was sitting third on the league table, Yanga, in contrast, was comfortably ensconced at the apex of the standings, which means that Simba SC had no other option but to play catch-up, that is, if they intended to keep alive their hopes of capturing the league title.

It should also be noted here that heading into the football contest, Simba SC was firmly determined to gain retribution after the Msimbazi Street side suffered an utter 5-1 shellacking at the hands of Yanga last November in the first half of the season.

Sadly though, despite exerting tremendous efforts to claim what would have been a veritable morale-boosting win, Simba SC ultimately succumbed to a 2-1 loss to their age-old foes Yanga in what was an unforgettable thriller.

As for Yanga, they must not get carried away as the Jangwani Street outfit has not yet sewn up the all-action three-horse race for the premier league trophy.

Nevertheless, with Simba SC’s prospects of securing the title seeming increasingly distant, one wonders if second-placed Azam FC has the mettle to unseat Yanga from the summit of the league standings.

Still, whichever way the chips may fall, we should be in for a pulse-racing home stretch in this season’s riveting football league campaign.

Let us now segue nicely to the national youth football scene, which recently received a shot in the arm from global football’s governing body, FIFA.

Indeed, FIFA has just launched a Football for Schools (F4S) program in the country which is aimed at harnessing the undoubted talents of primary school boys and girls on the local scene.

Unquestionably, this is a noteworthy and laudable program, which if implemented as planned, could vastly improve local football.

At this critical juncture, it should be highlighted that youth football development is a surefire way for any country to achieve outstanding feats in the ever-action-packed realm of football.

Football lore is replete with inspirational tales of football clubs like Ajax and Barcelona, who have relied on their ultra-successful youth football academies to garner multiple trophies in the ‘people’s game’.

Thus, it can be seen that if everything unfolds according to script, then the FIFA F4S program should be an emphatic success.

Let us now turn to the national amputee football team, who are presently taking a stab at securing this year’s edition of the African Amputee Football Cup of Nations (AAFCON).

This year, the AAFCON championship is being staged in Egypt and our national team which is nicknamed the ‘Tembo Warriors’ has a great chance of doing extremely well based on their recent track record at the consequential event.

Indeed, the 'Tembo Warriors' brilliantly finished fourth in the 2020 edition of the competition and this experience ought to stand them in good stead at this year’s AAFCON tournament.

To sum up, it goes without saying that we wish ‘Tembo Warriors’ all the best in their football endeavors in Egypt.