AfricaPress-Tanzania: SIMBA SC Head Coach Sven Vandenbroeck said midfielder Clatous Chama is expected to return into the country on June 8th this year, to add energy into the defending champions’ squad.
The Msimbazi Reds host Ruvu Shooting on June 14th this year at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam, knowing exactly that a win will take them to 74 points at the summit of the Mainland Premier League table.
The Zambian creative midfielder failed to jet back in time to regroup with his teammates, who have intensified training sessions due to covid-19 lockdown in his native country.
Clarifying on the matter after the morning training programme at Mo Simba Arena in Bunju, Dar es Salaam, Vandenbroeck said despite Chama being away, he is still adhering to personal training regimes.
“We understand that he is keeping himself fit before he returns back to join his teammates but upon his arrival, he will have to undergo individual training sessions before he is integrated into normal sessions, Vandenbroeck said.
Concerning another midfielder Sharaf Shiboub, the coach said it will take him some time to come here due to serious Covid-19 lockdown measures placed in Sudan.
“The good thing though is that we have no injuries so far and we want every player to be fit before our first game on June 14th.
The players have only fatigue but no injuries, which is positive for the team,” said the Belgian trainer, who is eyeing his first championship on Tanzania soil.
He also revealed that now, he has started applying both high intensity and tactical approach to the training programmes after going through endurance and stamina build ups during the early stages of the sessions.
Asked whether his side will play friendly matches before their league clash, Vandenbroeck simply replied ‘maybe’.
On his part, the team’s Assistant Captain Mohammed Hussein said they will restart from where they had left before the Covid-19 outbreak.
“So far, morale in the team is high and all the players are fit to get back on the battlefield. Our main target is to defend the title and to achieve that, we need to win upcoming matches,” he said.
He urged Simba fans across the country to rally behind them in all their oncoming matches for them to do well.
Simba have gathered 71 points from 28 games and they sit 16 points clear at the top of the league pyramid to stand a good chance of lifting the silverware for third straight time.
