Simba Queens deserve a pat on the back

SIMBA Queens deserve a pat on the back for gallant performance that saw them being crowned CECAFA Women Club Champions after a hard fought 1-0 against She Corporate FC of Uganda at Azam Complex Stadium in the final last Saturday.

They marched into the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Champions League 2022 with swagger as representatives of CECAFA Zone. It will be staged in Morocco in October and November.

By winning the match and being crowned East Africa women club champions, Simba Queens received 30,000 US dollars  cash prize in the competition partly supported by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who like last year, contributed 100,000 US dollars.

Other women teams that have qualified for the tournament are AS FAR of Morocco, South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, the title holders, Zambia’s Green Buffaloes, Wadi Delga of Egypt and Determine Girls of Liberia.

We would like to commend the team for their outstanding performance during the tournament. We understand it was not easy, the girls showed bravery and determination from the first match and their efforts paid off.

In fact, having the men team going places in the continental tournament is increasingly becoming a normal good practice, as Simba have reached the quarter finals of CAF tournaments thrice in the space of four years, but it goes to better when women category is given impetus to match the men side.

And this is the right path that Simba is taking.

We are proud for the team for the key milestone. We congratulate the players for their efforts on the pitch and sacrifices to make Tanzanians proud.

We also congratulate the management of the team for preparing it well for the tournament which included financial support in varied ways to ensure adequate preparations.

We are particularly happy that Simba Queen have shown young girls in Tanzania, East Africa and Africa in general that women football is growing in Tanzania and they too can be part of it.

As the team Coach, Sebastian Nkoma said after the match the big task ahead is to prepare well for competing with the best women teams in Africa. We appeal to all sports stakeholders to support the team in whatever way they can so that they bring the CAF Women Champions League crown.

As well, Simba needs to double its efforts and attract the corporate world to begin sponsoring the team.

We believe the girls have what it takes to beat Africa’s best women teams and bring Africa’s crown home. It can be done provided that we all play our part.