CAFCC: Simba SC's Ally vows back-to-back final appearance after RS Berkane setback

Photo Credit - Simba SC Tanzania.

Simba SC Media Officer Ahmed Ally has maintained that the Tanzanian club will play again in the final of the CAF competitions next season.

The Msimbazi Reds reached the final of the CAF Confederation Cup this season but lost 3-1 on aggregate to eventual winners RS Berkane. Simba lost the first leg 2-0 away in Berkane but were not able to overturn the deficit after settling for a 1-1 draw in the return leg final at Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar on Sunday.

Despite taking an early lead courtesy of Joshua Mutale, Simba were dealt a blow in the 50th minute when Yusuph Kagoma was sent off in the second half after receiving a second yellow card. The decision swung the game in favour of Berkane, who scored through substitute Soumaila Sidibe to level the game.

“From now onwards, Simba standards will remain to reach the final of any CAF competition, we have won medal by finishing second, and next season we will wear another medal, we will not wait for 60 years to reach the final, Simba is now a team that will grace the final in every year,” Ally told Pan-Africa Football.

“We will do the final back-to-back, we achieved this final because of our desire and discipline, but next season, we will reach the final again, but this time we will get a different medal, not the second team medal.”

Ally continued: “I want to praise Simba players for what they achieved, it was not easy to come all the way to the final. It is unfortunate that a few things went against us, I don’t want to mention them, and we suffered because not everything was on our side, but I thank the players for standing up.

“The players never gave up, even when we went one man down, they kept fighting, it shows you without the red card, we could have levelled the aggregate scoreline and scored the winner, I am proud of what the players achieved.”

Asked on their next plan, Ally said: “We now have two trophies – the league and domestic Cup – we want to win them both. We have already shifted our focus on the two trophies, we will fight to win them, and we must finish the season with the two trophies.”