It’s a Second Chance Simba Must Not Fluff

The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)

28 May 2011

Second chances are always hard to come by in life. That is why whenever an opportunity presents itself, we try to get it right, having lost the first time. Having been knocked out of the Africa Champions League by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s TP Mazembe, getting another chance to feature in the continental tourney, thanks to a successful appeal, is a dream come true for our Dar es Salaam-based soccer giants, Simba Sports Club.

The Mainland champions are away in Cairo to take on Waydad Casablanca of Morocco today. The single match on a neutral ground will decide who replaces the disqualified Mazembe in the lucrative final stage of the 2011 championship. Simba’s fate had been sealed until the Confederation of African Football (CAF) disqualified title-holders Mazembe for fielding an ineligible player in their two matches the DRC club won 6-3 on aggregate.

Such one-off matches are usually tricky. But Simba must still press their luck to consolidate their reputation in the coveted competition. The managers and players must, therefore, use this rare opportunity to prove that they have what it takes to feature among the elite of African football.

The opportunity to qualify for the lucrative last eight stage for the second time in nearly a decade is one the Msimbazi Reds must relish. We do not see why they cannot do it. In the early 2000s, under Kenyan coach James Siang’a, they defied all the odds to progress at the expense of then defending champions Zamalek of Egypt.

However, Simba should not expect an easy ride, as Waydad are not pushovers. The 2-1 defeat by TP Mazembe might not reveal a team that is full of attacking, but they are certainly well organised, technically sound and defensively solid.

Simba can simply not afford to let down the 40 million Tanzanians. They must take the game to the Moroccans and wrest that spot in the last eight. They should know that all of us are rooting for them.

AllAfrica – All the Time