Africa-Press – Tanzania. YOUNG Africans confirmed yesterday that their CAF Champions League match against Rivers United at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam today will be played behind closed doors.
The two teams will be eyeing to get good results that will concrete their hopes of advancing to the first round of the continental biggest club level football showpiece.
After today’s encounter, the duo will meet again next week in the reverse leg in Nigeria to get the winner to penetrate into the next phase of the competition.
However, yesterday, the Tanzania Football Federation (TFF) admitted receiving communication from the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) that all preliminary round Champions League and Confederation Cup matches should unfold without entertaining fans in the stadium.
The federation said they already informed the country’s envoys in the contest to adhere to CAF directives and that they are doing everything possible to ensure that in other upcoming matches, fans should be allowed.
However, speaking in the city recently, Yanga’s Spokesperson Haji Manara said all preparations ahead of the big game are over and they are ready for the game.
“As a club, we are ready to produce a big goal margin win in order to lessen the job prior to the second meeting. Let me assure Yanga family that we must record good results at home so that in the return clash, our task should be simple.
“I know that others doubt especially after losing the international friendly match to Zanaco but the fact is that the loss helped a lot our coach to identify areas in his squad which need improvement.
“Perhaps if we had won with big goal margin, players could have had much confidence thereby forgetting their weaknesses…as such, the loss was much better for the team to wake up,” Manara said.
He also said he has strong belief that the team’s coach Nasreddine Nabi and his back up staff have had ample time to study their opponents to know how they play and find amicable ways to deal with them.
“He (Nabi) is a well experienced coach who has trained many big clubs on the continent and he knows how to scrutinise his opponents before facing them. I am sure that he has done that already,” he said.
He however conceded that this is football and anything can happen at the end of 90 minutes of play but insisted that they have prepared well to sink their opponents.
Yanga unveiled ‘return of champions’ slogan prior to facing the Nigerians saying they are the country’s record winners of many titles than any other club.
Disclosing on the club’s targets in the coming campaign, Manara said they want to reclaim the Mainland Premier League championship they missed in the past four seasons, win the Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC), go beyond the group stage of champions league, winning the Community Shield title and Mapinduzi Cup.
