DAR ES SALAAM: INCLUSION of Simba and Young Africans in the nomination list of the Club of the Year Award has been described as an indicator that the country’s football is making strides.
Recently, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) unveiled the list of clubs battling for the award that is currently being held by Egypt’s Al Ahly who won it last year.
The two giant clubs in the country are among 10 clubs enlisted to compete for the best club this year, a status that has been well received by many football fans.
In his reaction, former Yanga player, Kenneth Mkapa, said the development shows that football standards in the country are advancing in comparison with the previous years.
“This is good news; being able to battle with other giant clubs on the continent is not something to be taken for granted and we should all be proud of these teams.
“In the past, Yanga and Simba hardly had this opportunity to be included in the Best Club of the Year category, but now the clubs are dining on the same table with them,” he said.
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Similarly, ex-Simba player, Dua Saidi, described the development as a perfect move, saying the two clubs deserve credit for flying high the national colours in international competitions.
“Both Yanga and Simba are performing well in CAF Interclub competitions, no wonder they are included to compete in such a big category concerning clubs.
“Just last year, the duo reached in the quarter-finals of the CAF Champions League and Tanzania was the only country to deploy two sides in the quarters.
“All these are testimonies that we are heading towards the right direction when it comes to football development and we should all rally behind these two clubs, since they are making us proud,” he said.
The list of the contending clubs contains Simba, Yanga, Al Ahly, TP Mazembe, Mamelodi Sundowns, ES Tunis, Zamalek, Dreams FC, RS Berkane and Atletico Petroleos De Luanda.