Unfazed by Kagame loss
The Kagame Cup loosing finalists, Azam Football Club have shoved the disappointment under the carpet while looking forward to their maiden appearance in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) league kicking off early next year.
The ice-cream makers lost to Yanga by 2-0 in a pulsating contest at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam last Saturday.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Azam FC spokesperson Jaffer Maganga said there team is now focused on future tournaments, including the Mainland premiership.
Maganga said the Kagame Cup has been good experience to Azam as it has helped the players, technical panel and management of the club to know what to expect from international matches.
He said Azam believe they have a competent team in any tournament to follow and that the Saturday defeat has been inspiration to them.
The Azam official said as a professional club they will not blame anyone for the defeat, only that they are waiting for their head coach Stewart Hall to brief the club’s executive committee on his evaluation of the team in the tournament and the postmortem of the finals.
“To be very realistic, we are very happy with our team’s performance. Of course it was our utmost wish to win the title, but loosing in the finals also gives us pride. Mind you it was our maiden appearance and also remember that we started on a very bad note,” he said.
The Azam spokesman declined to unveil whether his team will make squad adjustments through additions or offloading some of the players.
He said the technical committee will meet to discuss the report presented by coach to the executive committee.
On the other side of the coin, victorious Yanga FC assistant coach Fred Felix Minziro expressed relief after the win and said they team will soon evaluate their performance during the tournament and react accordingly.