Simba legends outline path to Champions League success

DAR ES SALAAM: SIMBA SC legends have urged the club’s players to give their full commitment and work as a team if they are to turn the dream of continental success into reality.

Former Uganda international Emmanuel Okwi said the current generation must dedicate themselves to the club and aim to achieve what previous Simba sides could not.

“I ask the young players to dedicate themselves with all their hearts and keep fighting because Simba is a very big team in Africa,” Okwi said.

He urged the players to target the CAF Champions League, saying the club had the size and support to compete at the highest level in Africa.

Former striker Meddie Kagere said winning the continental title remained one of his biggest unfulfilled ambitions during his time at Simba.

“One thing I deeply desired to achieve, but we didn’t manage, was winning the CAF Champions League title,” Kagere said.

The former players said success would also depend on the squad developing a strong understanding and maintaining continuity.

Jamhuri Kihwelo criticised the practice of making major changes to the squad every season, saying players needed time to build relationships on the pitch.

“We release eight people and bring in 12; it is impossible to build a new team every single day,” Kihwelo said.

ALSO READ: Geita Gold celebrates title as Premier League beckons

He pointed to a previous Simba side featuring Clatous Chama, Jonas Mkude, Larry Bwalya and Kagere as an example of how keeping a core group together could help a team progress.

“That team stayed together for four years and we progressed very well,” he said.

Kihwelo also said the technical staff needed to work with a settled squad and make targeted additions rather than repeatedly rebuilding the team.

For Simba supporters, winning the CAF Champions League remains one of the club’s biggest ambitions.

The former players believe achieving it will require commitment from the players, teamwork and a clear technical approach.

But they said responsibility does not rest with the players alone. Club icon Madaraka Selemani called on Simba’s leaders to resolve their differences and work together towards the same goal.

“Our biggest contribution as veterans is to advise them to be united. Sitting together and being one is what we will tell them, and that is our greatest contribution,” Selemani said.

Kihwelo also called for greater unity within the club, saying Simba had people with the knowledge and experience to help it succeed.

The legends’ message is that continental success will require everyone at Simba, from the players and technical staff to the board and management, to work towards the same objective.