Controversy surrounds Mamelodi’s win over Yanga in Champions League

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian football powerhouse Young Africans faced a bitter exit from the CAF Champions League following a penalty shootout against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns.

But after the final whistle, what remained a topic of heated debate was Yanga’s disallowed goal.

Yanga SC believed they had taken the lead just before the hour mark through Aziz Ki’s audacious strike.

Television replays showed that the ball crossed the line, but Mauritian referee Dahane Beida, relying solely on the VAR’s message, shockingly ruled it out as he didn’t even bother to check the ball for himself.

This decision infuriated Yanga’s coach, Gamondi, who deemed it a clear injustice. Tanzania’s Deputy Minister of Sports, Hamis Mwinjuma, pledged to file a complaint with CAF to rectify the error, emphasizing the goal’s legitimacy.

“I have just spoken with the leaders of Young Africans, and we have agreed that they will write to CAF to complain about the clear goal that was disallowed. It won’t overturn the result, but at least we will set the record straight, and if it is proven, even the referee should face appropriate action. THAT WAS A LEGITIMATE GOAL,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Former Vice President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and Member of Parliament for Shinyanga Urban, Stephen Masele, has stated that Yanga can appeal to CAF under Article XVI, Section 3 of CAF football regulations to contest the disallowed goal scored by Aziz Ki.

Masele has advised Yanga’s leaders to utilize this provision because this article specifically addresses governance and match-fixing, whereby if it is proven true, Mamelodi will be stripped of the result and Yanga will be awarded the victory.

The disappointment reverberated among Yanga’s supporters, with even some Sundowns fans conceding that the goal should have stood.

With Simba also exiting the competition after a loss to Al Ahly (Simba lost 2-0, making it 3-0 on aggregate) against Al Ahly in Cairo in their second-leg quarterfinal encounter, Tanzanian football endured a double blow in continental competition.

Nonetheless, President Samia Suluhu Hassan praised both teams for their determination and wished them all the best in next season’s Champions League.