Andrew Olsson
October 3, 2025Dimitar Pantev announced as new Simba SC head coach
Dimitar Pantev announced as new Simba SC head coach
Following late developments, Simba SC has officially settled on Bulgarian tactician Dimitar Pantev as the club’s new head coach. The Reds of Msimbazi announced Pantev’s appointment on their social media channels Friday evening after Pan-Africa Football previously confirmed his rise to become Simba’s number one choice.
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The charismatic Bulgarian arrives after an extended spell in Botswana where he led Gaborone United most recently as well as Orapa United.
Pantev nearly led Gaborone to an upset of Simba SC in the CAF Champions League qualifying stages, a coaching performance that played a role in his appointment after Singida Black Stars coach Miguel Gamondi was widely rumored to succeed previous Simba coach Fadlu Davids.
Simba club management accelerated the appointment after interim coach Hemed Suleiman “Morocco” led the team during its first round qualifying tie in the Champions League, where Simba struggled to a narrow 2-1 aggregate victory over the Botswana champions. Pantev’s first assignment will come after the upcoming FIFA window when Simba face Eswatini’s Nsingizini Hotspurs for a place in the group stage of Africa’s premier club competition.
Dimitar Pantev’s background before Simba SC assignment
Pantev has an interesting background. The 49-year-old spent much of his early coaching days in futsal after a playing career that spanned over twenty years. After years as an assistant and head coach in futsal, where he led the Bulgaria national futsal team, Pantev decided to move to Africa where he began his time on the continent with Victoria United of Cameroon.
He led Victoria United to the 2023-24 crown in Cameroon’s top flight Elite One before moving to Botswana, where he took charge of Orapa United. He led the team in their CAF Confederation Cup campaign during the 2024-25 season before departing after a series of poor results in continental competition. Pantev bounced back with Gaborone United where he led the club to the Botswana Premier League title at the end of last season.
Now Pantev is on a big stage for the first time, one of the biggest in African football. He will be expected to lead Simba back to prominence after several years of playing second fiddle to Dar es Salaam rivals Young Africans, who captured both the league and cup titles last season.
Simba SC are off to a strong start in the Tanzania Mainland Premier League where they have won their opening two matches, both with 3-0 scorelines. They lost the curtain-raising Community Shield final to Young Africans back in mid-September.