When Nasreddine Nabi was coaching Yanga, he was loved by the fans because of his good work on the pitch and his reputation for trusting and developing local players.
Players like Ibrahim Bacca, Dickson Job, Bakari Mwamnyeto, Mudathir Yahya, Kibwana Shomari, Clement Mzize, Salum Abubakar, Farid Mussa, and others were given opportunities and trusted by Nabi.
You could say coach Romain Folz is reviving that tradition since he too gives opportunities and trust to local players.
In the recent CAF Champions League match against Wiliete SC, eight local players were given playing time.
In the starting lineup he included Kibwana Shomari, Ibrahim Bacca, Dickson Job, Aziz Andabwile, and Mudathir Yahya, while Shekhan Khamis, Offen Chikola, and Edmund John came on in the second half.
The quality Andabwile is showing now can be credited to Folz, who trusted him from day one. Perhaps now there is no Yanga fan who questions the midfielder whenever he appears in the lineup.
Andabwile is currently the top scorer for Yanga in the Champions League, with two goals to his name—and he is a defensive midfielder!
If not for Folz, perhaps Andabwile would not even be at Yanga, as even the fans had already given up on him, believing he lacked the ability to serve the Tanzanian champions.
