Simba Queens, She Corporate now strive for $30,000 award
Simba Queens players. The team face Uganda She Corporate today in a final match to be played at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. PHOTO | COURTESY
What you need to know:
- The match is expected to kickoff at 7pm and could be preceeded after third playoff encounter pitting AS Kigali of Rwanda and CBE of Ethiopia
Dar es Salaam. Simba queens today take on She Corporate of Uganda in the final match of the Council of East and Central Africa Football Association (CECAFA) at the Azam Complex .
The match is expected to kickoff at 7pm and could be preceded after third playoff encounter pitting AS Kigali of Rwanda and Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) FC scheduled at 3pm.
Simba queens qualified into the finals after beating AS Kigali 5-1 and She Corporate FC of Uganda won 2-1 against Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) FC in the semifinals.
The match is expected to be the most thrilling one following the standard that all teams have shown in the knockout stages.
Simba head coach Sebastian Nkoma said all team players are ready for the encounter and their intention is to outshine the Ugandans.
“I have worked with my team preparing a special training program to increase the team’s efficiency in the match. We are aware that She Corprate are among the tough teams in the competition,” said Nkoma.
He said the team need to show prowess in and commitment to the game, saying it will be a tough game as both teams target for a victory to win the title and take home the top prize.
“Our target is to continue utilising our home ground well and maintain the unbeaten run in the competitions. I call upon all Tanzanians to give us support by attending the match,” said Nkoma.
He said so far things were going on well and players were working extremely hard in the training.
“Players have improved very fast in all the areas and we are satisfied, confident and ready to face She Corporate in the final match,” he said.
He added, “What I find most encouraging is the players’ enthusiasm, their motivation, and the quality of their work, they are making impressive progress.”
She Corporate who won the Uganda Women’s Premier League title for the first time last season have also vowed to trumph in the match.
“We are not in this final by mistake, we have worked hard and still stand a chance to lift up the trophy. We need to get our tactics correct, knowing that we are facing a team that beat us in the group stages,” said She Corporate coach, Charles Lukula Ayiekoh.
The Ugandan side started their campaign with a 6-0 win against Yei Joint Stars of South Sudan, and suffered defeat to Simba Queens FC. They recovered to beat the Djibouti side 8-0 and produced a tactical masterstroke to see off Commercial Bank of Ethiopia at the semi final stage.
Besides the cash prizes at stake for the top three teams, the She Corporate is also motivated by the promise made by the Uganda FA President Moses Hassim Magogo to reward the team if they win the tournament.
The winner of the encounter will take home U$30,000(Sh69.9m) according to Cecafa’s president Wallace Karia.
Apart from the cash prize, the winnner will also represent Cecafa Zone in the second edition of the African football governing body (CAF) Club championships scheduled to take place in Morocco next month. The second winner will take home U$20,000 (Sh46.6m) with the third pocketing U$10,000 (Sh23.3m).
There will be also cash prize for the most discipline team, best scorer, best players, best referees and best goalkeeper.
