Young Africans players boycotted training for a second day yesterday over unpaid salaries.
All first team players except goalkeeper Ally Mustafa and defender Oscar Joshua refused to show up for the morning training session morning at the Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam. Head coach Zambian George Lwandamina and the team’s other technical bench members arrived at the stadium to oversee the session only to be greeted by the players’ no show.
The players are reportedly owed salaries for November. One of the players, who claimed anonymity confirmed to the Daily News that they stopped training until the club’s paid their salaries. On Monday, the players turned up at the stadium but refused to take part in training, in an apparent move sought to push the club’s management settle their unpaid salaries.
Yanga’s Deputy Secretary General Baraka Deusdedit confirmed on the players’ strike, but denied that it was down to unpaid salaries. Deusdedit said that the club did not owe the players their November salaries; rather they wanted to get December salaries before end of the month due to upcoming holidays.
Deusdedit said the management was working on the matter and was optimistic that the players would be back in training immediately. “This issue between the management and the players, the management is working on it and it will be settled.
I believe they’ll be back in training today (yesterday) and tomorrow,” he said. Young Africans, who are defending champions, are set to engage African Lyon in their next league match due at the Uhuru Stadium on Friday.
They are currently occupying second place in the league with 36 points from 16 outings, trailing leaders Simba by two points.
credit:allafrica.com