Despite Mashujaa FC announcing the return of their former striker, Ismail Mgunda, for the upcoming 2025–26 season, confusion has arisen following reports that the player has also signed a contract with Singida Black Stars.
Mgunda played for Mashujaa during the 2024–25 season before being sold to AS Vita Club of DR Congo in the January 2025 mid-season transfer window. However, his stint there was short-lived, lasting only six months before returning home.
After his return to Tanzania, Mashujaa announced they had re-signed him for the new season, but that deal is now under scrutiny due to claims that he had already signed with Singida Black Stars prior to the announcement.
"The player told us he had terminated the one-year contract he had left with Mashujaa, which is why they allowed him to go to AS Vita Club. So we were surprised to see him being reintroduced, yet we had finalized our deal long ago," said a Singida official.
The same source added that once Mashujaa discovered the player had signed with Singida, they went ahead and unveiled him, claiming there was a prior agreement that if he returned to Tanzania, they would have first priority—something Singida disputes as untrue.
Mashujaa chairman, Major Abdul Tika, insisted that Mgunda is still their legitimate player, despite interest and persuasion from other clubs trying to lure him away from their initial agreement.
"We are aware that some clubs are trying to convince him, but they should know that Mgunda is our legitimate player. He still had one year left on his contract, and we only allowed him to go to DR Congo because we saw it as a good opportunity for exposure," said Major Abdul.
