‘Yanga ready to take Mamelodi in full force’
DAR ES SALAAM: YOUNG Africans have said they will approach their CAF Champions League (CAF CL) quarterfinal match against Mamelodi Sundowns in full force.
The two teams meet at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam tomorrow for the first leg match of the Champions League with each side seeking for victory.
Yanga Vice-President, Arafat Haji, made the remarks and called on the club fans and supporters to have faith in their team ahead of the match against South African side.
Explaining the significance of the match, Haji said: “You cannot be champions without defeating champions, or without playing against champions,” he said, emphasising Yanga’s readiness to face the strong opponents from the South African league to elevate themselves to the top tier of African football.
Haji likened Yanga to gold and Mamelod to fire, stating; “pure gold must pass through fire.” Haji also called on Yanga fans to come out in large numbers and support their club wholeheartedly on Saturday throughout the game.
“Saturday is the day for Yanga fans to cheer for the full 90 minutes of the match,” said Haji.
He stressed the significance of approaching the match with a profound reverence for the authentic essence of football, cautioning against underestimating their opponents.
“We must enter the game against Mamelodi Sundowns with a deep respect for the true spirit of football,” emphasised Haji. On April 5th, the duo will interface for the second leg clash at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, where the overall winner will progress to the semi-finals of the competition.
Speaking yesterday in the Dar es Salaam, the club’s Media and Communication Manager, Ally Kamwe, insisted that so far preparations are progressing well and in accordance to set plan.
“You can see from physical appearance of players themselves that they are looking forward to the big match …the level of attention is very high than ever before. “We are going to approach the match in full force than any other game we played this season. As such, we request our fans to come in big number at the venue to give us intended support,” Kamwe said.
He added that they expect full squad today as Stephanie Aziz Ki and Djigui Diarra who were on national team duties were expected to re-join their colleagues in camp on Thursday night. “The rest of players who were called for their national team matches are back in the camp, hence tomorrow (today), the squad is going to be complete, ready to take on Mamelodi Sundowns,” Kamwe said.
He also disclosed that entry gates into the stadium will be opened from 11:00am and that many activities will happen inside the venue as clock ticks towards the kick-off time 9:00pm.
