Yanga SC should play in Caf Confederation Cup – Simba SC’s Manara

Simba SC communications officer Haji Manara believes Yanga SC should play in the Caf Confederation Cup and not the Champions League.

Tanzania has four slots in continental competitions – Wekundu wa Msimbazi will play in the Champions League, so too the second-placed team, Yanga in this case. 

As it is, Timu ya Wananchi will play in the Champions League alongside Mnyama while Azam FC, who are set to finish third in the league, will play in Confederation Cup alongside Biashara Mara United, who lost in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Normally the winner of the FA Cup gets the final Confederation Cup slot, but with Simba and Yanga in the final, and Azam the other semi-finalist already secure of their places, the final berth went to Biashara.

Why is Manara against Yanga playing in Caf Champions League?

“They are not league champions, why should they get a privilege to play with the champions?” Manara posed a question to Goal.

“Simba should play in the Champions League alongside the Zanzibar Premier League champions since they are under Tanzania. That is how it should be and not the other way round.”

Where should Yanga play?

The vocal official went on to insist the Jangwani Street-based charges should be playing in Africa’s second-tier competition.

“Yanga should play in the Confederation Cup because they are in the FA Cup final. And it will happen just because Simba cannot play in two competitions. So let Yanga and the team that will finish second in Zanzibarian league play in the second-tier competition,” he added.

Meanwhile, Simba coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa believes they won the Mainland Premier League title in May after winning four matches in a row.

The Msimbazi giants were crowned champions on Sunday after beating Coastal Union 2-0 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, with goals from John Bocco and Chris Mugalu enabling them to reach an unassailable 79 points, nine more than second-placed Yanga and with two matches to play.

But according to the French tactician, who arrived at the club on January 24 to replace Belgian Sven Vandenbroeck, the league title was already won in May after their exit from the Caf Champions League, when they lost 4-3 on aggregate to South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs in the quarter-finals.

“But I think we won the title in May when we played four matches and won four times without losing, it was very important, it was very key for our season,” Da Rosa told Goal.

“That was the turning point, and I think that Simba completely deserved to win this league, we were dominant, we scored many goals and we did not concede many goals and it shows you Simba is a very strong team.”