Author: ELKANA KUHENGA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: SIMBA have extended their partnership with Al Ahly as they have put plans to build a sports centre in the country that will benefit all sports personalities in the country.
Simba’s Information and Communication Officer, Haji Manara noted these plans as he toured Tanzania Standard Newspaper (TSN) Limited Headquarters in Dar es Salaam last Wednesday.
“Our CEO has gone to Egypt, looking forward to building the relationship with Al Ahly and will have an opportunity to visit Zamalek. It is also an opportunity for Zamalek to expand their exposure regarding how to manage and guarantee growth in such big clubs. Learning from those big Clubs will eventually give them an experience that will impact our clubs growth.”
“Besides building relationships between the two clubs, Al Ahly plan to build a joint facility that will be run by both Simba and Al Ahly. This will be their first facility they will build outside Egypt.”
He added: “This project will grace us with Egyptian trainers who will have an opportunity to exchange experiences while enabling our players to get a chance to be scouted by big clubs. Thus, this project will be very profitable; for not only Simba but also the whole country as Al Ahly building a center will be for the benefit of all.”
In addition, Manara had an opportunity to respond to those football fans who have been criticizing the board’s decision to appoint a female CEO, Barbara Gonzalez in such a top club.
“Being the club CEO does not require you to have ball skills all it requires is your ability to manage clubs activities and the entire management.”
It has indeed been a memorable event for Simba CEO Barbara Gonzalez to visit the top Egyptian club Al Ahly and extend the two clubs ties.
In her visit, Gonzalez had a chance to make a tour in the club and she received the club’s emblem as an expression of respect in her visit.
In response to the honor, she awarded the member of the Board of Directors, Mulamu Nghambi Simba’s jersey. Al Ahly is an Egyptian sports club based in Cairo known as “The Club of the Century” in African football, founded in 1907.
Al Ahly has won 42 national league titles, 36 national cups titles, and 11 national super cup titles whereas it is among the few clubs in the world that never been relegated in their home league.
It is the top African club that has collected more titles as they have so far registered eight, followed by TP Mazembe and Zamalek where both have five titles.
The club has also collected six CAF Super Cup titles, more than any other African Club; Zamalek follows from behind with four titles and TP Mazembe with three.
Amongst their biggest achievements was their participation in FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2006, Al Ahly and they won a bronze medal.
Despite the fact that Al Ahly are the Egyptian Premier League defending champions but they have also collected the title five times in a row.
Last year the two met twice where Simba won the first leg game by 1-0 at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium but lost in the second leg game by 5-0 at Borg El Arab Stadium.
