Simba part ways with its coach after winning Union title

By Osoro Nyawangah, DAR ES SALAAM,  Tanzania 

Simba Sports club of Tanzania has officially announced the departure of its Algerian coach Abdelhak Benchikha and his two assistants Kamal Boujnane and Farid Zemit after only five months since they joined.

This development comes just one day after the Algerian won the Union Super Cup with a 1-0 win against Azam FC last night at the New Amaan Complex stadium, Zanzíbar.

According to the press release issued by the club today to the media, the coach is leaving on family reasons.

The football club reached reached a mutual agreement with the longtime  coach to terminate the contract due to family issues.

"Coach Abdelhak Benchikha has told the Simba management that his wife is ill, so he needs time to be close to her and nurse her," explains the club's statement.  

The statement stipulates that, during this transition period, the team will be managed by Coach Juma Mgunda assisted by Selemani Matola until the Board of Directors makes another decision.

Benchikha joined Simba at the end of November 2023 and signed a two-year contract on November 28 before enabling the team to reach the quarter final of the African Champions League where they were eliminated by the defending champions, Al Ahly of Egypt.

The football  giants were also eliminated in the Round of 16 of the Tanzania Football Federation Cup (TFF), a tournament now known as the CRDB Bank Federation Cup with a 6-5 penalty kick against the hosts, Mashujaa following a 1-1 draw at the Lake Tanganyika Stadium in Kigoma.

In the Premier League so far, Simba is in third place with 46 points from 21 matches, behind Azam FC with 54 points and the defending champions, Yanga with 62 points after all teams have played 24 matches.