This past weekend, Madzibaba saw his boys progress to the final of the lucrative Under 15 tournament in Soweto, only to be knuckled out by Pirates, who teams playing in the tournament accused of fielding over-age players.
The former Zimbabwe international left back, at the helm of the Wits juniors for the past three years, refusef to be drawn into the controversy after his team lost 2-0 to their Johannesburg neighbours.
“I cannot comment on the allegations of age cheating but only on the performance of my players,” Yohane said.
While Pirates won the final 2-0 courtesy of goals by Nhlakanipho Ntuli and Siyanda Ngcobo, Yohane heaped praise on his boys for accounting themselves well in the 16-team tournament.
Wits gave the junior Buccaneers a good run for their money and could have wrapped the game in the first half had star striker Themankosi Phiri been precise in front of goal.
Goalkeeper Suhail Bismilla, who was Goalkeeper of the Tournament, and infield players Sandile Sibanda, Miguel Diass and Sandile Mothladile made the crowd sit up and take notice.
“I am proud of the boys and the fact that they went that far in the tournament says a lot about their talent and potential. The tournament was competitive this year and I would like to congratulate Pirates,” Yohane said.
Yohane, a member of the Zimbabwe national team that played in the 2004 African Nations Cup, had a sterling career with Bidvest Wits, culminating in the club offering him a coaching role after his retirement.
Meanwhile, Orlando Pirates defended themselves against allegations that they fielded overage players.
“I believe other teams are jealous because we are doing well in all these competitions. If they believe we are age cheats, they should bring forward evidence. We are not age cheats but use players that are eligible for such tournaments. That includes the Nike Premier Cup where we fielded players that are Under 15 as per regulations. Some of these players participated in the Danone Nations Cup (which is contested for by players Under 13),” head of development, Augusto Palacios, said.
Post published in: Football