Tanzania's defending champions, Simba SC concedes derby defeat

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

Tanzania's defending champions, Simba SC have conceded defeat after going down 1-0 to rivals Yanga SC in the Mainland Premier League derby on Saturday.

Watched by over 50,000 fans including the country's President, Samia Hassan, it was the Jangwani giants who took the bragging rights after a first-half goal from Zawadi Mauya enabled them to beat their Msimbazi rivals at Benjamin Mkapa Stadium.

The defeat means Simba will now have to wait and win their next league assignment against KMC FC to be declared champions and according to the club’s Media Officer Haji Manara, they had lost to a very tactical side.

"We have lost to a team that was tactically better than us, they were better than us in all departments and they were lucky in the first half, Simba was not the Simba we know, but that is football,” Manara posted on his Facebook page after the game.

Before the game, Manara had bragged that Simba will beat their rivals by at least four goals.

"If the referees do their job well on Saturday, Simba will beat Yanga by more than three goals, that is a fact,” Manara told our reporter.

"Forget about those saying derbies can go either way, those things have been overtaken by events, do you expect Simba with their current form to lose against Yanga? Just forget about that and wake up, Simba will never lose to Yanga.

"If the referees follow the 17 rules of officiating, Yanga will ship in more than three goals, and nothing will change, we are the best team in East Africa and people should stop judging things by fluke, those things have been overtaken by events.

"We have Luis [Miquissone], we have Clatous [Chama], we have Bernard [Morrison], we have John [Bocco], we have Larry [Bwalya], Joash [Onyango], Pascal [Wawa] and Shomari [Kapombe], and you want to compare those experienced players with those of Yanga, people who were picked from the streets to come and play?”

This was the first league defeat for Simba coach Didier Gomes Da Rosa since he took over the club from Sven Vandenbroeck.