AZAM’S Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdulkarim Amin ‘Popat’ has observed that lack of big fan base is what keeps them behind Simba and Young Africans in terms of achieving success.
He made the statement in response to a question that why Azam despite having all required facilities plus a cream of good players struggle to win domestic trophies.
“Simba and Yanga do not have away matches meaning that whenever they go to play at a venue outside Dar es Salaam, their fans are usually many in comparison with those of a team hosting them.
“To us, we do not enjoy that status hence the two clubs (Simba and Yanga) seize advantage of having a big fan base to do well on the pitch,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chamazi based club picked a 2-1 win against US Monastir in their third pre-season match at Mustapha Ben Jannet Stadium in Tunisia over the weekend where the country’s envoys are conducting drills ahead of next season.
James Akaminko and newly imported Gambian striker Gibril Sillah contributed one goal each in the first half to propel their side to triumph.
Prior to this match, Azam suffered a 3-0 defeat from Esperence in their second signal testing encounter which was a bitter pill to them.
However, in their first pre-season clash, the Ice cream makers side registered a 3-0 victory over Al Hilal of Sudan who also picked Tunisia as a base of their 2023/24 drills.
Meanwhile, upon returning back in the country, Azam’s first competitive domestic match will be against Young Africans in the semifinal match of the Community Shield.
The duo will interface at Mkwakwani Stadium in Tanga on August 9th with the winner cruising to the final.