Author: BENJAMIN BEN
AfricaPress-Tanzania: STILL licking their wounds, Young Africans are back in the Mainland Premier League action as they host relegated side Singida United at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam today.
It will be an important game for Yanga, as they push to end on the second place of the league table after missing out the opportunity to reach into the final of the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) after losing 4-1 to traditional rivals Simba in the semifinals at the same venue last Sunday.
The downfall practically meant that the Jangwani Street giants will again end the season without neither bagging any trophy nor parading in CAF club competitions.
On the other hand, a win for Singida United will not have any impact for them, as they currently sit 20th on the table with 15 points hence there is no way they can uplift themselves from the jaws of relegation.
To make it worse, Singida United lost their previous match 2-0 against KMC, hence they head into today’s tie with heads down.
Regardless, to correct the past results Singida United will be battling hard and possibly stamp a victory.
For Yanga, they won 1-0 against Kagera Sugar at Kaitaba Stadium in Kagera courtesy of a solo goal netted by controversial Bernard Morrison who is in hot soup with his current club after his unsportsmanship behaviour when he opted to march to the dressing room after being substituted during the traditional derby duel on Sunday.
Speaking recently, Yanga Vice- Chairman Fredrick Mwakalebela appealed for patience among their fans following a heartbreaking loss they suffered from Simba.
“As a club, we have already started procedures to recruit competent and quality players from within and outside the country, so that next season, we should have a quality team. “We are aware which gaps in the team should be filled as such, let me assure Yanga fans that next season, everything will be well at the club,” Mwakalebela said.
He then called for unity among members, fans, management and players of the club, saying the humiliating loss to Simba should not disunite them but rather bring them together and plan well for the future.
Meanwhile, former Yanga player Boniface Ambani said a 4-1 defeat his former team suffered at the hands of Simba should be a wakeup call to the leadership of Yanga that they do not have a competitive team to battle for titles.
“On the day I watched the game between Yanga and Kariobangi Sharks, I knew since then that Yanga do not have a well drilled team to have an impact this season, as far as winning titles is concerned. “In the upcoming season, they should be watchful as there is no need to have 30 players in a team whose contribution is questionable. It is better to have few players who have the capacity to help the team other than having more players without any benefits,” he said.
He continued that nowadays, football is not about quantity but rather quality hence he suggested that those players who are not worth to be at Yanga should be released.
Again, Ambani pointed out that another thing which surprises him is that sometimes, a player who has been dropped by a certain club due to his low performance is the same player that Yanga signs, saying that notion should be avoided if the team want to reach far.
He also said he raised alarm to the Yanga management not to sign Ivorian striker Yikpe Gnamien as his performance at the Kenyan side Gor Mahia was not convincing but the club ignored him and went ahead to sign him.
