Young Africans coach slams ref after loss to Mamelodi Sundowns

Dar es Salaam. Young Africans (Yanga) head coach, Miguel Gamondi, has taken issue with match officials for not awarding his team's obvious goal in the second leg of the CAF Champions League quarterfinal on April 5, 2024, at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, South Africa, against Mamelodi Sundowns.

Despite a hard-fought battle, the Jangwani Street giants ultimately suffered a heart-wrenching defeat, losing 3-2 in the penalty shootout after a gripping goalless draw in regular play.

However, controversy marred the encounter, with Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) disallowing Azizi KI's goal in the 60th minute, despite television replays clearly showing the ball crossing the goal line after hitting the crossbar.

Speaking after the match, Gamondi said the world football governing body (FIFA) promotes fair play, but the decision of the match officials was not in accordance with the laws of the game and denied his team qualification into the semifinals of the competition.

"I congratulate my players; they did a fantastic job despite some players not being part of the game. Mamelodi Sundowns dominated the match, but Yanga created more of the clear scoring chances,” said the coach.

He added, “I do not want to talk anymore because everybody saw what happened. If there is anyone in South Africa telling me Azizi KI's shot did not cross the goal line, he has to tell me...could someone tell me why the referee did not go to watch the VAR to satisfy himself if the ball crossed or did not cross the goal line and why he went to check if Lomalisa deserved a yellow or red card?" queried Gamondi.

Gamondi continued, saying, “I believe they (the VAR officials) have robbed the pride of the Tanzanian people, especially more than 30 million wananchi; they feel aggrieved. It was a clear goal—a robbery against my team. If the people of Mamelodi Sundowns are content with that, so be it, but football should not be like this, and FIFA advocates for fair play... This is a painful moment for football.”

The coach insisted that "I am not criticising Mamelodi Sundowns and the people of South Africa; I am criticising the people who did this in the match."

He explained that the referee, like any human being, can make mistakes.

"To the referee, why did he not go to check VAR, but he was confident with VAR when he was checking on my player (Lomalisa Mutambala) if he deserved a red card?" Gamondi queried.

He emphasised that it was a historic achievement for Yanga to qualify for the quarterfinals of the CAF Champions League, particularly given the formidable opposition they faced. The coach stressed that their advancement was well-deserved, attributing it to their exceptional performances throughout the tournament.

"We played against formidable teams on the continent to reach this stage, but we have been denied our chance due to the decisions of the match officials," he lamented.

According to him, this is the second time he has experienced “this kind of decision in my career. I faced it when playing against Zamalek in the same competition in the 2000s. If I am not a good coach, why do I experience this kind of decision?" Gamondi wondered.

Football pundits' comments

Renowned trainer Kennedy Mwaisabula said biased refereeing has led to Yanga’s elimination from the competition.

Mwaisabula, a football tactician, said there was a hidden agenda against Yanga in the match and that the referee was not fair.

"The referee has to explain why he disallowed Yanga's goal. He is the one who can state that; Yanga were denied their chance of qualifying for the next stage of the competition," said Mwaisabula, a former Yanga and Villa Squad coach.

Another football pundit, Abel Mtweve, questioned the decision of the referee about the clear goal scored by Yanga.

"Maybe there are other laws of the game concerning goals crossing the line. The experienced referee has to explain why that was not a goal, and if it was not a goal, why it was not a corner kick as the ball was headed by Mamelodi Sundowns after bouncing back," said Mtweve.