Simba SC gutted but Yanga elated

21Feb 2023
Lloyd Elipokea
Dar es Salaam
Sport
The Guardian
Simba SC gutted but Yanga elated

OFF the back of their razor-thin 1-0 loss to Horoya AC of Guinea one week ago, Simba SC was again left bitterly disappointed after their saddening 3-0 defeat to Moroccan titans Raja Casablanca in the 2022/23 CAF Champions League group phase clash here in Dar es Salaam last Saturday.

Tanzania's Yanga attacker, Fiston Mayele (L), seeks to get the better of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s Tout Puissant Mazembe center-back, Kelvin Mundeko, when the two sides locked horns in a 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup Group D tie played in Dar es Salaam last Sunday. Yanga garnered a 3-1 victory. PHOTO: COURTESY OF YANGA

Indeed, the deeply dissatisfying result frustratingly means that Simba SC’s hopes of sealing a spot in the quarterfinals of continental football’s most pre-eminent championship are now extremely dim.

While the post-match analysis will undoubtedly reveal some valuable truths, one can only feel sympathy for Simba SC’s fans, who must have been hoping for a revival of their club’s CAF Champions League Group Stage campaign last Saturday.

In stark contrast, Yanga turned their fortunes around in the 2022/23 CAF Confederation Cup group phase last Sunday when they comfortably cruised to a much-deserved 3-1 victory against TP Mazembe of DR Congo.

Having lost 2-0 to the Tunisian outfit US Monastir in their opening group stage encounter a week ago, Yanga had no room for error in their eagerly awaited duel against TP Mazembe last weekend as it was a match that they simply had to win to maintain their prospects of reaching the quarterfinals.

With their tails now up, Yanga must nevertheless still be wary of falling prey to overconfidence which would be a colossal mistake.

Let us switch gears now to consider wheelchair tennis from which there were joyous tidings to report last week.

It pleasantly came to light last week that the national wheelchair tennis team had admirably finished third in the 2023 African Qualification Tournament for the BNP Paribas World Team Cup.

Indeed, it should be noted that this is hardly the first time that the national wheelchair tennis team has produced gloriously magical displays to return home with eagerly sought-after top honours.

Unfortunately, though, the national wheelchair tennis team’s past triumphs have not been met by commensurate investment into the sport, which is a crying shame.

It is hoped then that the exceptional showings of our valiant bunch of wheelchair-bound sporting heroes will prompt some long overdue investment into this sport which has a wealth of potential.

Speaking of untapped promise, this year’s U-20 African Cup of Nations (U-20 AFCON) kicked off last Sunday in that historically significant land of the Pharaohs, Egypt.

The Black Satellites of Ghana are the reigning champions and it is a certainty that the crème de la crème of African youth football will all be determinedly seeking to wrest the title from their grasp.

In the past, undiscovered talents have used this tournament as a stepping stone to rise from obscurity to stardom.

In the big picture, the top four teams to emerge from this year’s showpiece event will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup that is set to unfold later this year in Indonesia.

Thus, with this year’s U-20 AFCON finals now in full swing, one dearly hopes that the competition doubtlessly proves to be one to savour.

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