Simba SC not mistaken to transfer memorabilia to National Museum

The collection which is likely to be displayed in photo mementos will be on display at the National Museum as another item of national significance, a position likely to impress the curator staff at that place.

The point is why pundits are not unanimous in support of that initiative, showing misgivings on its desirability. 

The key argument is that the move is not beneficial to the club and that the National Museum will benefit from the display of those items but not the club, a position that seemed somewhat curious.

Club history is not displayed to earn money but to broaden awareness of its milestones, and thus cement near and distant loyalties to the club.

That ought to have been straightforward enough for the pundits to grasp, but narrow self-interest or collective interest looks reasonable.

An equally surprising feature of this criticism is that it makes no effort to see the club as a national symbol, an icon for the broader public, and not just for those who identify with the club as fans and even as members.

The memorabilia, as some pundits pointed out, are best kept in low noise and not so busy neighhourhood, as is Shaaban Robert Street for that matter.

Outside that zone it would imply that the club seeks out a dedicated building for the purpose, losing millions in rental fees.

Looking at the matter again, instead of some pundits arguing that the club will not earn anything from that location, it would have been more appropriate to admit that the club has someone to display club memorabilia to an interested public, for free.

The wider public was not exactly in the minds of some of the critics but those who come to the club for this or that purpose, taking a particular example of a new player to the club. The tone was that the memorabilia instills confidence.

Yet neither the club nor the purported new player needs the confidence of the other, as the club needs the player for the technique, and he will accept to play if pecuniary expectations are fully met.

The memorabilia or beauty of the club's history is for travelers and sightseers, those who are seeking things to marvel at, whether cultural, landscape, or entertainment. 

In that case, the memorabilia is rightly placed to attract a touristic entourage, the public.

This lack of appreciation for what can be said to be public interest has a way of eating into evaluations of various issues, not just for pundits but even for a few or more acknowledged professionals.

One would expect a past glittering player like Abdallah Kibadeni, now a settled academy operator, madrasa tutor, and mosque elder, with a lifelong attachment to Songea.

The regional leadership there made him one of their own, decorating him with the traditional title of Mputa, that is, prince or ruler, after he shifted there by invitation from Simba SC, way back in 1978.

Having been an amateur top-level player and then briefly a coach for the top city side, the current feelings of the former top player are not with current professionals playing with city sides but with local coaches.

He has the view that there is plenty of talent and it just needs to be sought out and even pursues the concept of trust, which comes down to a project view of the national side on the one hand, and more for the club.

He was shown the door after losing in consecutive matches, and all the while sticking to the position that players will just get used to one another.

While the former remains the most well-known piece of memorabilia that the club can show, errors of judgment for not having a balanced view of things were noticeable in his remarks as well.

Like pundits on the talk show with the king, who could be excused for being either young or unborn, similar to those who profile the legendary city derby where Simba SC won 6-0 against Yanga in July 1977, he cannot be accused of having tried to be balanced.

He scored a hat trick in that match and even now wishes that it is remembered as a hat trick against their archrivals, whereas the situation was simply atypical. A row broke out in Yanga and most top players left.

Still, the amateur atmosphere of focusing on talents rather than seeking out able players from anywhere may have hurt his adopted club in Songea, the now-forgotten Maji Maji FC.

Pundits said the club had been relegated twice, from the Premier League to the Championship League and then to the regional league, and their onetime legend mildly says he can offer some advice if he was approached.

The matter is fairly easy, even if like Mtibwa Sugar FC this season the club does not seek players far and out, it needs credible sponsorship to make the ladder again, especially as no Songea side appears to have replaced Maji Maji as a renowned club at the place. He can talk up sponsors, and volunteer brand ambassadors.