AfricaPress-Tanzania: YOUNG Africans Head Coach Cedric Kaze gave credit to Jamhuri as his side was held to a barren draw in their Mapinduzi Cup opener at Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar on Tuesday night.
It was a tense match on the opening day of the annual football competition which saw Jamhuri, who on paper looked an easy side to beat, playing with big energy without giving their opponents any chances at all.
They attacked and defended as a team despite being in the First Division League (FDL) relegated last season but, they put in a spirited effort from the start to the end of the match.
But, at a post-match briefing, Kaze hailed Jamhuri for their good performance while insisting that they need to wake up in the next game against Namungo.
“We have gained something from this game because some of the players who rarely earn a chance in the first team were given the opportunity to play which helped to give them confidence,” said Kaze.
His goalkeeper Farouk Shikalo who made a couple of good saves to deny the energetic Jamhuri players said he has no pressure at all to be the second choice shot stopper.
“When I am at the bench, I do not have pressure at all but the pressure is always with coach because he is the one who picks the goalkeeper depending on the game itself,” said him.
On the other hand, Jamhuri coach Mfaume Shaaban described the encounter as very tough but he complemented his boys for the wonderful job.
“We had almost one week of preparation for the competition and our initial target was to get all three points from Yanga but, that has not been fulfilled as such, we will work hard on our next fixture,” he said.
His shot stopper Nassir Talib who too conducted miraculous saves during the match disclosed that the main reason which drags backwards Zanzibar teams from reaching further in football is financial constraints.
“For a long time, no Zanzibar team has managed to reach in the semifinals of the Mapinduzi Cup mainly because we lack adequate financial support to thoroughly prepare ourselves,” said him.
The competition has since brought nine teams on a single platform ready to fight for the championship which is currently being defended by Mtibwa Sugar.
