Author: ELKANA KUHENGA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: SIMBA Sports Club have travelled to Abuja, Nigeria with a squad of 24 players to face Plateau United for the preliminary round of African Champions League title that begins this Friday.
The club has listed a squad of 24 players who flew yesterday at Kilimanjaro International Airport to Ethiopia.
The squad will then take another flight to Abuja.
In the list shared via their Instagram official account, the club have also included two times mainland premier top scorer Medie Kagere despite the fact that he had been absent in most league games due to injury.
Among the games that Kagere missed include the recent 7-0 victory over Coastal Union last Saturday and 1-1 draw against Young Africans.
Apart from Kagere the squad has included goalkeepers, Aishi Manula, Ally Salim and Beno Kakolanya.
Defenders Shomari Kapombe, Gadiel Michael, Mohamed Hussein, Erasto Nyoni, Ibrahim Ame, Joash Onyango, Pascal Wawa and Kennedy Juma.
Midfielders in the list are Jonas Mkude, Mzamiru Yassin, Said Ndemla, Rally Bwalya, Hassan Dilunga, Francis Kahata, and Clatous Chama.
Strikers are John Bocco, Miraji Athuman, Bernard Morrison, Luis Miquissone and Ibrahim Ajibu.
Simba is currently on the third place of the mainland premier league after accumulating 23 points in 11 games behind their traditional rivals Young Africans and Azam who are two points ahead.
On the Nigerian side, the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) 2020/21 season has not yet begun as the league was stopped due to Covid-19 where in the prior season Plateau was at the league.
They accumulated 49 points in 14 wins, seven draws and lost four. In the 2016/17 season they won the NPFL title after collecting 66 points. They registered 19 wins, nine draws and lost ten games.
After the first leg at New Jos Stadium, Plateau United will travel to Dar es Salaam for the second leg. The second leg will be staged at Benjamin Mkapa stadium on 4th, 5th or 6th of December.
Simba’s fans will expect to witness improvement this season, following last year’s unimpressive performance after they were knocked out in the preliminary round by UD Songo.
Whereas in the 2018/19 season they managed to reach in the Quarter-finals, it was only in 1974 when Simba managed to get in the semifinals but were knocked out by Ghazl El Mahalla through penalty shots.
