The Belgian coach was left gutted after some of his key players failed to report to training a day after losing the derby contest
Young Africans (Yanga SC) coach Luc Eymael has confirmed only a few players turned out for training just a day after they suffered a humiliating 4-1 defeat against Simba SC in the FA Cup.
The Jangwani Street-based giants failed in their bid to reach the final of the domestic Cup after losing 4-1 in the semi-final clash played at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam on Sunday.
The huge defeat ended Yanga’s pursuit for a straight ticket to the Caf Confederation Cup but enhanced Simba’s chances of sealing a double this season since they had already been crowned the Mainland Premier League champions with six matches to spare.
The Belgian coach has now told Goal he was left a disappointed man after some key players, whom he did not want to name, decided to skip training on Monday which was aimed at discussing the Cup exit and also the remaining matches in the top-flight.
“A lot of players were not there on [Monday] for training, it is when you see the character when you are facing tough times, some players are there and some are not there but we will do with the players we have at hand,” Eymael told Goal.
“If people are not there perhaps they are thinking beyond the club, maybe their mind is not at the club and what can we do? We have to live with that and work with those players who are ready to play.”
Pressed further to name the players who skipped training and whether the club will take action against them,” Eymael said: “I don’t want to comment on that…okay, thank you very much.”
On whether the conduct of the missing players will affect the team’s quest to finish second on the 20-team league table, Eymael explained: “I don’t think so, but we will see, let us wait and see.
“We have to stay focused, now we have to prove if we are really men, if we can bounce back, unfortunately, this game [against Simba] is finished, and we cannot play it again, we have to see if we can bounce back and finish second on the table and we have to take some positives from this defeat.”
Yanga are now fighting to finish second with close challengers Azam FC as they lie third on the log.
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