Simba’s silent revolution: How science and teamwork powered a CAF final run

When Simba SC charged their way to the CAF Confederation Cup final in the 2024/25 season, the footballing world took notice. But while the goals, tactics and drama played out on the pitch, the real transformation was happening far from the spotlight—under the guidance of South African Strength and Conditioning Coach, Riedoh Berdien.

What Simba achieved was not luck, nor mere form. It was science—applied, adapted, and fiercely executed. In a continent where athletic talent is abundant but rarely optimised, Berdien’s approach offers a template for how African clubs can modernise, compete, and eventually dominate.

Gone are the days when training meant laps and endless drills. Berdien’s arrival in 2024 marked a shift: from generic fitness to football-specific intelligence. Simba’s players weren’t just running; they were executing purpose-driven movement, mapped to the game model of head coach Fadlu Davids who is himself a master of tactical periodisation.

“We train the way we play,” Berdien said. That phrase sums up the philosophy underpinning Simba’s evolution—a blend of data science, tactical acumen, and athletic precision. GPS metrics, recovery protocols, and load management are now core to how Simba prepares. And the results are plain to see.

Berdien and his team employed systems like Fitogether to track metrics—speed, endurance, explosiveness. But raw data alone doesn’t make champions. What matters is interpretation. How do you translate kilometres run into decision-making efficiency on the pitch? How do you condition players to recover faster, play smarter, and avoid needless injuries in a congested season? Simba’s secret was not secrecy. It was coherence—science that serves the game plan.

Perhaps most impressively, Berdien walked into a team where 90 percent of players were new. Instead of imposing outdated “military” routines, he focused on football-specific fitness—respecting the body types, experience levels, and cultural context of each player. The response? Buy-in. “They pushed themselves,” Berdien said. Players like Ngoma, Kagoma, Mutale, Mukwala, and Kapombe didn’t just survive—they thrived, improving speed, distance, and resilience week by week.

Such rapid progress suggests that Tanzanian players are not behind in talent—they’ve simply lacked structured support.

Simba’s rise is a case study in how performance science, when localised and team-oriented, can revolutionise clubs. Many African teams still rely on charisma, raw skill, or imported talent. But the continent’s future lies in systems, not saviours. It’s time African clubs saw fitness not as a sideline, but as central. Berdien’s work with Simba proves that with the right support staff, even fixture congestion, poor pitches, and travel fatigue can be managed. This is no longer an era of guesswork. It is an era of measurement, recovery, and alignment.

Berdien is quick to credit head coach Fadlu Davids, describing him as a mentor, tactician, and teacher. “Our job as support staff is simply to complement his vision,” he said. That humility reflects a high-functioning ecosystem—where egos are shelved in favour of unity. It’s worth noting: such synergy is rare in African football, where power struggles often undermine technical progression. Simba have shown that collaboration between head coach, sport scientist, and medical team isn’t idealistic—it’s essential.

Berdien, who has worked in Gambia, Mali, and South Africa, sees something unique in Tanzanian players: hunger. “Players outside South Africa are often more driven,” he notes. In that hunger lies Tanzania’s comparative advantage—a generation willing to be coached, guided, and elevated. If clubs invest in the invisible side of football—the science, the psychology, the preparation—Tanzania could be the next frontier for continental glory.

Simba SC have proven one thing beyond doubt: footballing excellence is not built on talent alone. It’s built on trust, planning, and relentless attention to detail. As Berdien reminds us, “Sport science isn’t an individual job. You need respect, cooperation, and collective effort.”

Let Simba be a blueprint—not just a success story. Let other African clubs look beyond the bench and into the lab.

Because in modern football, the science is the strategy.

Eliya Solomon is a Tanzanian sports journalist with a focus on East African football, performance science and club development pathways.