Tanzania: Yanga Set to Dish Up Some Cold Revenge

The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)

Majuto Omary

26 June 2011

Dar es Salaam — Mainland champions Young Africans go into today’s tricky game of the Kagame Castle Cup against Sudan’s El Merreikh knowing they can ill afford to lose.From all indications, the Group B match promises to be a nail-biting showdown, and both teams have lofty ambitions going into their first clash. It starts at 4pm.

Coach Sam Timbe said yesterday that they would not let anything get in their way as they try to dish up a stone-cold dose of revenge on El Merreikh, who dumped them out of the championship in 1986.

The two teams meet for the first time since 1986 when the Sudan giants stunned Yanga 4-2 on penalties in the final at the Uhuru Stadium to emerge the new East and Central Africa champions.The tension-rigged final stretched to the penalties after the normal 90 minutes ended in a one-all draw.Yanga, then under the tutelage of Boy Idd Wickens, levelled matters deep into injury time through their new signing Abubakari “Sure Boy” Salum.

It was the first match for “Sure Boy” since joining the Jangwani Street team from the now defunct Sigara FC. Currently, he is the team’s U-20 side’s assistant coach.

Former national team coach Joel Bendera was then the club’s chief instructor. Memories of that defeat are still fresh in the minds of most Yanga fans. “This is the time to go out there and show our stuff. We can not afford another defeat to El Merreikh tomorrow,” Timbe said yesterday.

“We want not only to beat El Merreikh, but also reach the final of the championship, or better still, clinch the trophy,” the Ugandan added.His confidence stems from the fact that in 2009, he guided Attraco to the Kagame Cup title at the expense of the same El Merreikh in Kigali, Rwanda.

Attraco squeezed a 1-0 win over the Sudan giants to claim the top honour and the jackpot that goes with it.

Yanga, still smarting after their disappointing show in this year’s CAF Confederation Cup, will also use today’s match to gauge the skills of their singings.

The Mainland champions spent millions of shillings on drafting in new players for next season’s Vodacom Premier League and international assignments. Their foreign imports include strikes Davis Mwape from Zambia and Ghanaian Kenneth Asamoah.

At Morogoro’s Jamhuri Stadium, defending champions APR of Rwanda take on Djibout’s Port in a Group C match.

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