Young Africans SC (Yanga) have declared they are not taking the upcoming Community Shield lightly, with head coach Romain Folz implementing a four-pronged training program ahead of the clash against Simba on September 16 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, Dar es Salaam.
According to the club’s Media Officer, Ali Kamwe, Folz has been conducting sessions in the gym, on the beach, on the pitch, and in the classroom to prepare his squad for the Community Shield, which will usher in the new Tanzanian Premier League season on September 17.
Kamwe explained that Folz is keen to continue the legacy of his predecessors, Miguel Gamondi and Miloud Hamdi, who consistently dominated Simba in previous encounters. A win would mark Yanga’s sixth straight victory over their arch-rivals.
"The team is progressing well with different training programs — on the pitch, in the gym, on the beach, and in class. This is part of the preparations for the Community Shield against Simba, even though we first have a match against Kenya’s Bandari during the climax of Wiki ya Mwananchi," Kamwe said.
"The coach and his assistants are new, which already shows they want to achieve something big. Folz is a tactician with many ideas, and these will start to show during Wiki ya Mwananchi, the Community Shield, and our international matches," he added.
Yanga boast a strong record in recent derby clashes. They have beaten Simba five times in a row in various competitions. Most recently, they claimed a 2-0 victory in the second round of the Tanzanian Premier League last season on June 25 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.
Before that, they won 5-1 in the first-round clash of the 2023/24 season on November 5, followed by a 2-1 win in the return fixture on April 20, 2024. Yanga also edged Simba 1-0 in last year’s Community Shield (August 8, 2024) and another 1-0 win in the league on October 19, 2024.
Meanwhile, preparations are also ongoing for their CAF Champions League preliminary round tie against Wiliete FC of Angola, scheduled for September 21 in Luanda. Kamwe noted that the club’s primary target remains reaching the group stage — a step further than last season, when Yanga finished third in Group A with eight points, bowing out behind Sudan’s Al Hilal and Algeria’s MC Alger.
Source: IPP Media
