Africa-Press – Tanzania. YOUNG Africans SC Head Coach Pedro Gonçalves has blamed player fatigue and a congested fixture schedule after his side were held to a barren draw by TRA United in a Mainland Premier League match in Arusha on Wednesday.
Gonçalves said his players were struggling to cope with a demanding run of fixtures, pointing to limited recovery time and extensive travel across the country. “We have to squeeze time between travel and play again; sometimes our players get fatigued,” he said.
Young Africans’ recent run of matches highlights the strain of a congested schedule, with travel demands and short recovery windows appearing to affect their attacking edge.
After a 1-0 win over Tanzania Prisons in Dodoma on 12 March, Young Africans SC returned to Dar es Salaam for a goalless draw against Azam FC three days later.
They then travelled on to Arusha, where they were held to another 0-0 draw by TRA United on Wednesday at Sheikh Amri Abeid Stadium.
The run of three matches in six days, spanning multiple cities, underlines the physical burden on the squad, with little time to recover between fixtures.
Head coach Pedro Gonçalves said his players are frequently required to turn out again within 72 hours, often against sides that have had significantly longer time to prepare.
Despite the physical strain, Young Africans controlled large spells of the game but were unable to break down a disciplined TRA United side.
The result keeps Young Africans at the top of the table with 37 points from 15 games, while TRA United remain 10th, with 20 points. TRA United coach Etienne Ndayiragije praised his players for earning a point against one of the league’s strongest teams.
He stated, “It was the first time for us to play against a big and well-established team from Dar es Salaam.”
