Simba SC have confirmed they had planned to face Al Ahly in the friendly to celebrate Simba Day but it could not materialise because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Simba Day is an annual day for the Wekundu wa Msimbazi to celebrate the club’s success after concluding the season and is also used to unveil their new signings to the fans before the new season kicks off.
According to Simba information officer Haji Manara, the Egyptian giants had accepted their invitation to play against them in a friendly on August 22 but securing travel plans scampered the trip.
“We had contacted Al Ahly and they were willing to come for the friendly but owing to the effects caused by the coronavirus pandemic, they cancelled the tour at the eleventh hour,” Manara told reporters on Wednesday.
After missing out on Al Ahly, Simba went ahead to book a friendly against Vital’O of Burundi, and Manara believes they will also give them the challenge they need as they prepare for the new Mainland Premier League season set to kick off on September 6.
“We are very confident [Vital’O] will provide the challenge our coach and the team needs to prepare for the new season, it was also difficult to get them but they have finally said they will come, and we will play on August 22."
The friendly will kick-off at 14:00 inside the newly renamed Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Last week, Manara revealed due to the changes of fixtures last season, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, they had opted to push back the Simba Day event from August 8 to 22.
“We have visualised that this time around, using Benjamin Mkapa Stadium alone will not be enough that is why the day will be hosted by two venues including Uhuru Stadium where big screens will be installed for people to follow the entire occasion,” Manara told reporters.
Two days ago, Simba held the Champions Week with three events, showing off the new logo of the club, introducing the new team kit they will use next season plus parading the new players to be featured in the 2020/21 league season.
“Initially, we used to show our new kits when playing the Community Shield game but this time around, we have made some changes," Manara added.
"The new logo we want to introduce will be specific to go along with the demands of modern football and this is usually done by other big clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea, and others.”
Simba won a treble last season – the Community Shield, the league title and FA Cup – and will now represent the country in the Caf Champions League.
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