Simba crowned Tz champions with six matches to spare
Cranes’ Emmanuel Okwi won two league titles with Simba. INTERNET PHOTO
Simba have been crowned champions of Tanzania, the first nation in Africa to restart their league after a three-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. Like every Africa country except Burundi – who continued playing while Covid-19 spread – Tanzania suspended football in mid-March to combat the deadly virus. Simba held a commanding 17-point lead when the championship resumed this month and sealed a third consecutive title despite being held 0-0 at home by mid-table Prisons.
The point took the Dar es Salaam outfit to 79 points, 19 clear of arch-rivals Young Africans (Yanga) with six rounds to play. Simba and Dar es Salaam neighbours Yanga have dominated Tanzanian football during the past decade, winning nine of the 10 title races. But neither side has made an impact in the Caf Champions League with Simba suffering a shock preliminary round defeat to UD Songo of Mozambique last season.
Both clubs have Belgian coaches with Sven Vandenbroeck in charge of Simba while Luc Ey
22 Sunday’s third consecutive league win is Simba’s 21st overall in the Tanzanian Premier League’s 55-year history. Yanga holds the record of 22 league titles.Confident.
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Abdallah Mubiru “We are one of the most attacking sides in the league and among the top scoring clubs. If we maintain that, polish our defence and focus on winning the title, why not?”
No privileges. Zengo during his unveiling on KCCA TV on Sunday.
mael recently joined Yanga. Vandenbroeck assisted Cameroon head coach and compatriot Hugo Broos when the ‘Indomitable Lions’ won the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
But he struggled after being named coach of Zambia, lasting only eight months before being ditched when the former champions failed to qualify for the 2019 Cup of Nations. Eymael first coached in Africa 10 years ago, at Vita Club (DR Congo), and has also worked in Gabon, Algeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Tunisia, Sudan, South Africa and Egypt. – Agencies
