Mngqithi sacked in Tanzania after away draw in league

Just days after securing Tanzanian club Young Africans a place in the African Champions League group phase, South African coach Manqoba Mngqithi has been fired.

His dismissal comes after Saturday’s goalless draw at TRA United in Arusha, which left second-placed Yanga five points behind arch rivals Simba in the league standings.

Mngqithi left Lamontville Golden Arrows at the end of last season to take over the Dar-es-Salaam club, which has a long history of chopping and changing coaches.

Mngqithi lost only one of 13 games in charge. He started his tenure in Tanzania with a Community Shield win over Simba and won his first six league fixtures, plus a 3-2 aggregate triumph over Gaborone United in the first round of this season’s African Champions League. But Mngqithi suffered a first defeat on October 10 when Yanga were beaten by Simba in the derby, losing 2-1 to Steve Barker’s side.

They followed this with an 8-1 aggregate triumph over Madagascar’s Centre de Formation de Football Andoharanofotsy before Saturday’s draw, after which Yanga immediately fired Mngqithi and his fitness coach Chyna Mokaila.

Last season Yanga went through three coaches, sacking Romain Folz and former Angola coach Pedro Goncalves. Others who have been sacked there in the past include Nasreddine Babi, Tom Saintfiet and Micho Sredojevich, who have all also worked in South Africa.