EDITORIAL: SIMBA MUST ‘GET IT DONE’ AGAIN IN TODAY’s MATCH
Simba Sports Club today play Al-Merrikh of Sudan in the Groups stage of the ongoing African Champions League.
The match – which will be played at the Al-Hilal Stadium in Khartoum from 4pm Tanzanian time – is projected to be ‘no walk in the (proverbial) park’ for either of the two teams, both gunning for victory!
While Simba are at the top of Group A – with six points from two matches – Al-Merrikh are at the bottom of the Group’s standings, with nary a point.
The major Tanzanian soccer club recorded a 1-0 victory against AS Vita Club of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) in Kinshasa, and then defeated the defending champions, Al Ahly of Egypt, at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
According to the Group’s log, AS Vita Club is placed second (with three points), while Al Ahly are third – but also with three points.
The Egyptians only differ with AS Vita on goals difference.
But the status of the two clubs in the League’s standings makes today’s match involving Simba and Al Merrikh a potentially tough encounter.
For starters, Al Merrikh would like to record their first victory in the competition. Al Merrikh lost 3-0 against Al Ahly in their opening match in Cairo, Egypt – and then lost 4-1 against AS Vita at their home ground!
Simba need victory today in order to secure a placing in the next ‘knockout’ Quarterfinals stage featuring eight national club teams.
The Simba players must make a real difference in today’s encounter. They must not underestimate Al Merrikh just because the Sudanese club lost its previous two matches.
Simba players must at all times bear in mind that the only way they can qualify for the next stage of the competition is to win today’s match. It is a very important encounter that would give the club a clear picture of the Group A standings.
Go and GET IT DONE, Simba, we say!
RAMP UP WFP/TADB ALLIANCE
We heartily welcome the World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations for teaming up with the Tanzania Agriculture Development Bank (TADB).
This is in seeking to make Agriculture functionally-pivotal to all-inclusive, meaningful and sustainable socioeconomic development in Tanzania, for Tanzania, and (mostly) by Tanzanians – including especially women and the youth.
According to the WFP Country Representative, Ms Sarah Gordon-Gibson, WFP’s goal is to “work with TADB in improving the agricultural value-chain to impact more farmers – especially women and youth, who are the backbone for poverty alleviation and national development...”
In the processes, TADB would be able to more readily access much-needed technologies transfers in the best interests of the Bank’s agricultural development projects in particular, and Tanzanian agriculture across the board.
As we reported in these pages yesterday [March 5, 2021], the core objective of the WFP/TADB working alliance is to institutionalise Tanzanian Agriculture into viable sustainability.
This should more effectively facilitate women and the youth in participating in the farming value-chain to its logical conclusion, so to speak.
It was the right thing to do for TADB to team up with WFP – the world’s largest humanitarian organization focused on hunger and food security – in jointly refocusing and bolstering Tanzanian agriculture.
