Yanga SC President Engineer Hersi Said has strongly criticized stakeholders who have questioned the club's decision to sign more local players, describing the criticism as a negative mindset that does not contribute to the growth of Tanzanian football.
Speaking in Dar es Salaam early today during a special club meeting, Engineer Hersi said Yanga's leadership would be failing if it did not give domestic players an opportunity to showcase their talents at a top club.
"A player coming from another local team, once he joins Yanga even for just one season, cannot remain at the same level. His value increases and his performance improves because of the environment and competition available here," Hersi emphasized.
The Yanga president added that criticism and negative comments would not discourage the club from continuing to recruit and develop local talents, saying the initiative is aimed at helping both Tanzanian football and the national team, Taifa Stars.
During the current transfer window ahead of the new season, Yanga have officially unveiled six domestic players who have joined the league champions.
The players are:
- Hussein Mihambo (Striker – from Mashujaa FC)
- Juma Issa Abushiri (Winger – from Fountain Gate)
- Abdulnasir Muhamed (Full-back – from Mashujaa FC)
- Mohamed Mussa (Centre-back – from Mashujaa FC)
- Erick Mwijage (Winger – from KMC)
- Suleiman Mbarouk "Mpemba D" (Midfielder – from JKU of Zanzibar)
Yanga's management has emphasized that combining these six local signings with the newly recruited foreign players is part of a strategy to build a stronger and deeper squad capable of defending domestic titles and making a deeper run in the CAF Champions League.
