Author: RAHEL PALLANGYO
AfricaPress-Tanzania: RUANGWA town in Lindi Region has turned to a sea of red and white, ahead of today’s Mainland Premier League title presentation ceremony to champions Simba.
The event billed to colourful will unfold at Majaliwa Stadium immediately after their match against Namungo FC of which three hosts have already declared that they are set to pocket vital points.
It will be the first time for Simba to be presented their league trophy in Lindi hence history books will be written today.
Simba are already in the celebration mode as they expect to receive their 21st title, which is their third back to back trophy.
The Reds have set a record of being declared champions with six games still to play. They top the table with 80 points, massive 18 points ahead of second placed Azam FC.
For the Msimbazi Street giants, it was a long adventure to reach this far but, their performance in most of the games they played proved that they deserve to be crowned the champions.
Ahead of the clash, the pitch is in great shape and work was going on to shape up dressing rooms and some sections of the standings.
In a nutshell, the Ruangwa town is experiencing hive of activities with hotels, guest houses, bars and restaurants receiving a great number of visitors.
Going into the match, Simba Head Coach Sven Vandenbroeck admitted that right back Shomari Kapombe will miss the rest of the season after picking an injury during Azam Sports Federation Cup (ASFC) quarterfinals clash against Azam FC at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam last Sunday.
Clarifying about Kapombe’s injury, Vandenbroeck said he will be out of action for the rest of the season.
“I think everyone knows about Kapombe injury, in fact, he will be sidelined for four weeks which means he will not play again this season,” said the coach.
Elaborating on today’s match, Vandenbroeck said they are just waiting for the kick off.
“We will face a competitive team but the most important thing is to be fit ahead of our crucial game against Young Africans on Sunday,” he said.
Simba skipper John Bocco said they are aware how tough the game will be but insisted that they have accomplished their homework well such that he is sure to stamp a victory.
“For us, it is a very important match because we will be presented with our title thereby winning is our top priority. We know that Namungo is a good team and will be at their home hence the game will be difficult,” he said. “We just need to listen to what our coaches will tell us on how to approach the game so that at the end, we should emerge winners to pocket all three points,” Bocco said.
However, it will be a tough challenge for Simba as Namungo are unbeaten in their previous 19 league matches and are seeking their 20 unbeaten run should they manage to come out clean against the champions.
On his part, Namungo Coach Thiery Hitimana said they will play the game without fear of anything since their opponents are already champions and have nothing to lose.
“We know that we will be battling up with the champions who have been perfect this season but remember we are at home hence we have nothing to worry about,” Hitimana said.
Also, the chairman of the team Hassan Zadadu cemented that they will not let Simba to do double celebrations at their turf saying they need to surrender three points to his side.
