Simba SC in perfect record as Mainland League gathers pace
Simba players celebrate after scoring during a past match. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- So far, Simba are at the top with 15 points from five matches, while Azam FC are second with 13, and Young Africans (Yanga), who are the defending champions, are third with 12 points
Dar es Salaam. As the sixth round of the Mainland Tanzania Premier League will start on October 23 for a match between Mtibwa Sugar and Kagera Sugar at the Maungu Complex, Turiani in Morogoro, Msimbazi giants, Simba seemed to have a perfect record after winning all five matches.
So far, Simba are at the top with 15 points from five matches, while Azam FC are second with 13, and Young Africans (Yanga), who are the defending champions, are third with 12 points. Each team have played five matches.
The fourth place is under Kinondoni Municipal Council (KMC) with 10 points, while the newly promoted team, Mashujaa of Kigoma, with eight points, complete the top five with eight points after playing eight matches, respectively.
The sixth place is under another newly promoted team, Kitayosce, with eight points from five matches, respectively. The league log shows that the bottom-placed teams are Tanzania Prisons, who have collected four points; Namungo (14th place, three points); Mtibwa Sugar (15th place, two points); and Coastal Union, who are at the bottom of the league standings with two points from two of five matches.
The league records show that so far, a total of 89 goals have been scored in the first five rounds. The much is less for eight goals when compared with the last season’s three rounds after collecting 81 goals. So far, Simba’s Jean Baleke leads the golden boot race with five goals, followed by Feisal Salum, alias Fei Toto, who has so far scored four goals.
The two players (Beleke and Fei Toto) are the only ones who have so far scored hat tricks since the start of the league.
Fei Toto scored three goals during the opening matches against Kitayosce, while Baleke scored in the encounter against Coastal Union. Players who have so far scored three goals are Maxi Nzengeli, Stephane Aziz Ki, and Pacome Zouzoua, who are all from Yanga, and Matheo Anthony of KMC.
A famous trainer in the country, Abel Mtweve, admitted that the league is gaining momentum and has sometimes shown good improvement. “It is an open fact that you can now see the trend of the league. It is a marathon that has already sidelined some of the teams in the race, although it is too early to predict,” said Mtweve.
