Zimbabwe striker Donald Ngoma has confessed he preferred playing for Azam FC than Young Africans (Yanga).

Ngoma was officially released by Azam on Monday after his contract ended on June 14. He had joined the ‘Ice-Cream Makers’ from Yanga, and helped them to win two trophies – the Mapinduzi Cup and Azam Sports (domestic Cup) – last season.

Ngoma has now revealed he was more than happy to play at Azam than when he was playing at Yanga, the first time he joined a club on Tanzanian soil.

“The period I left Yanga, I was injured as such, I had to spend some time off the pitch but when I recovered, I was physiologically happy to play at Azam than Yanga,” Ngoma is quoted by Daily News.

Ngoma also revealed the reason he parted ways with Azam, insisting that despite their efforts to renew the contract, he had already made up his mind.

“While in Zimbabwe, I received a phone call from Azam Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Abdulkarim Amin who requested me to come and play in friendly matches so they can assess me and possibly extend my contract but I turned down the offer.

“The [CEO] insisted it could have been better if I was in Tanzania so I can play friendly matches prior to the resumption of the league and hence they can decide to extend my contract.

“To my side, I saw it as inappropriate and he told me that if I do not play friendly games, I should go on with other plans of my life. I accepted that and agreed that I should not return to the team.”

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Ngoma also admitted his performance had already gone down and could have also contributed to the club losing interest in his services.

“If you are a foreign-based player, you need to show your abilities to deserve what the club gives you but for my side, my level dropped and I was far away to catch up with my teammates,” Ngoma continued.

Ngoma managed to play a total of 42 matches for Azam in all competitions, notching 20 goals in the process with four assists.