Simba SC captain John Bocco has explained why he thinks the remaining 10 matches will be tough when the Vodacom Premier League (VPL) resumes.
Simba have already started their joint training at the Mo Simba Arena in Buju in readiness to restart their title defence but the forward thinks it is not going to be an easy task.
Simba are leading with 71 points and are ahead of second-placed Azam FC who have 54 points after each playing 28 matches.
“The league is going to be tough and the remaining matches will be tougher as teams will be chasing for the three important points from every game,” Bocco, known as Adebayor by his peers, told the club's website on Thursday.
Although there is no clear rival for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi in as far as the title chase is concerned, Bocco feels teams will be fighting to improve on their table standings.
Next Match
“The points will be important for teams who will be looking to move up the ladder while the ones sitting at the bottom will be fighting to dodge imminent relegation,” the Tanzanian international said.
Bocco's assertion of the VPL's toughness comes a day after his coach Sven Vandenbroeck had revealed a plan to win the first four matches.
“The plan of the team is to win 12 points and then we reset our focus on the FA Cup competition,” Vandenbroeck told the club's website on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, on the government's directive the matches will be played at one centre, Bocco says. Though it may sound unfair for other teams, it remains the best decision taken by the authorities.
“It will be good for the teams that are residing in the city [Dar es Salaam] but for those who are from the upcountry they will feel they are playing away in all the matches. But there is no other option really because this is an emergency issue,” explained the forward.
“Playing all matches at one centre will have the home teams enjoy advantages but again it will be a great advantage for the country because the spread of Covid-19 will be checked effectively,” Vandenbroeck had separately said before.
The move to stage the matches in Dar es Salaam was necessitated by the need to contain the probable spread of the coronavirus which caused the league to be suspended in April.
