Young Africans president Engineer Hersi Said has cleared Mamelodi Sundowns of any wrongdoing after the away team bus broke down en route to their hotel from the OR Tambo International Airport.
Yanga landed in the country on Tuesday ahead of the quarterfinal second leg of the Champions League against Sundowns.
With Sundowns responsible for Yanga’s logistics, the incidents raised eyebrows among football fans, with some accusing the Brazilians of underhanded tactics, a regular occurrence in the African Football scene.
Speaking to Andile Ncube on Sports Night Amplified, Hersi admitted the issue was a technical failure, as he dismissed the negative rumors.
“From the airport, everything was fine, we’re very thankful to number one our hosts, Mamelodi Sundowns, but also the embassy of Tanzania in South Africa, they did amazing work, everything was perfect, we never had any hiccups at the airport.
“As soon as we got out of the airport, everything was fine, there were buses waiting for us and all that. But five minutes later, when we left the airport, the bus had a technical problem and the driver had to pull into the station next to the road.
“It’s a technical issue, but the only problem is my players left Dar es Salaam in the morning, the flight is at 7 a.m., so we’re supposed to be at the airport at 5 a.m., so we’re commuting to the airport, coming from home around 4 a.m.
“So it’s an early flight, so everyone was exhausted and having the technical problems on the bus is frustrating everyone.
“We had to communicate with Mamelodi Sundowns, and they were disappointed as well because it’s a rental bus and they had to do some maneuvering to get a replacement.
“We managed to get small cars from the embassy that took our players to the hotel. That’s exactly what happened, and I spoke to Yogesh and was so disappointed with what happened, and he apologized, and it’s football.
“Apology accepted, and we move ahead to the encounter on Friday,” Hersi revealed.
Hersi further praised Sundowns’ professionalism, arguing they are not a club that resorts to underhanded tactics.
“I know Mamelodi Sundowns are the biggest team in Africa, and we’ve got a lot of respect for them. I don’t think they can do these cheap politics,” he added.
“For me, it’s not something that they’ve done to disturb us. It’s a malfunction of the car, it’s a technical problem, and I don’t think they encountered it when they were checking the bus.
“Rest assured, I’m very positive with the reception of Mamelodi Sundowns; I’ve got a very good relationship with the leaders of the club as well as with some operational leaders like Yogesh and the rest. I’m happy with that, they called me and apologized, and no problem,” Hersi added.
The second leg will be played at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium on Friday (20:00).
