The NBC Premier League has been suspended until January 21 next year, while the CAF Champions League—where Yanga are competing in Group B—has also been paused until next year, leaving the club’s bosses scratching their heads over the condition of their striker and top scorer, Clement Mzize, who is sidelined with injury.
As Yanga prepare to cross the Indian Ocean to Zanzibar to take part in the 2026 Mapinduzi Cup, which officially kicks off this Sunday, Mzize’s medical file has been made public, and hopes of his early return to action have been dashed.
This follows a report from the specialist overseeing his rehabilitation after surgery, which revealed that the striker will not be available for Yanga until he has fully recovered—a process expected to be completed in February next year, by which time the team will already have played two CAF matches against Al Ahly.
Yanga are set to face Al Ahly in back-to-back matches scheduled between January 23 and 30, before taking on Morocco’s FAR Rabat on February 6 and wrapping up against Algeria’s JS Kabylie in Zanzibar on February 13—an outlook that suggests Mzize could miss all of those fixtures.
Here is the background. Mzize sustained the injury in the first leg of the first round of the CAF Champions League against Angola’s Wiliete Benguela on September 19 this year, a match Yanga won 3–0, before undergoing surgery in November.
It was initially reported that the injury would keep him out for between eight and ten weeks, and although he is now seen training alongside his teammates, the reality is that he will remain sidelined until February.
Yanga physiotherapist Youssef Ammar told Mwanaspoti that, based on current assessments, Mzize could return to action in early February as his condition continues to improve.
Youssef said the striker has begun training under his supervision and is being closely monitored before being handed over to the club’s fitness coach, after which—if all goes well—he will be cleared to return to the pitch.
“It’s true that Mzize is currently under my care for monitoring, and I’m happy with his progress. Once he completes my programme, he will be placed under the fitness coach, so I think he still needs more time to be fully ready,” Ammar said, adding:
“We will not allow him to return too quickly to competitive matches due to technical requirements. What we are doing is ensuring the player comes back at peak condition so he can maintain the momentum he had at the end of last season.”
Youssef said he could not be certain of the exact date Mzize will return to action, but he estimates it will be within the next two months, promising that he will come back with the same fire that saw him finish last season as the club’s top scorer with 14 goals in the NBC Premier League.
“The doctor and the management want to see Mzize return in line with medical requirements and reports, without rushing him just so the team can benefit, only to risk him falling back into injury problems,” Ammar said, adding:
“Because of that, many things are being done step by step, with the goal of seeing the player return fully fit and at the same level of quality he showed two seasons ago—and that is possible if he also follows the instructions given by the doctors overseeing his recovery.”
Based on this report, it is clear that head coach Pedro Goncalves will have to continue planning without Mzize, relying on the available forwards to secure positive results in upcoming fixtures, including those in the NBC Premier League, the CAF Champions League, and the 2026 Mapinduzi Cup, which begins on Sunday.
Yanga are heading to the Mapinduzi Cup, where they will open their campaign against KVZ on January 4 before facing TRA United on January 6, relying on Andy Boyeli, Celestin Ecua, and Offen Chikola in attack, as Price Dube is away at AFCON 2025.
It is reported that coach Pedro has already proposed the signing of a new striker to bolster the squad ahead of the remaining CAF matches, as Yanga currently sit second in Group B with four points after a 1–0 win over FAR Rabat and a goalless draw away to JS Kabylie.
