Simba SC new coach Barker to arrive soon, says official

Dar es Salaam. Newly appointed Simba Sports Club head coach Steve Barker is expected to join the team before the end of this month, arriving alongside his assistants as he prepares to take charge of one of Tanzania’s most demanding football jobs, The Citizen has learned.

According to a club official, the South African tactician is scheduled to arrive in the country around December 28, shortly after the Christmas festivities.

Upon arrival, Barker will immediately integrate into the team’s preparations for upcoming competitions.

“Based on our timetable, the coach will arrive shortly after Christmas, possibly on Boxing Day or December 28,” the source said. “He has been given full authority to join the team and begin work straight away.”

The official added that Barker has indicated he will initially work with the current technical bench led by Seleman Matola, while retaining the mandate to make decisions regarding the structure of his backroom staff at a later stage.

“For now, he will work with the existing technical bench under Matola and alongside his own assistants. Any further decisions on the technical team will be made after he has fully settled in,” the source explained.

Once in Dar es Salaam, Barker is expected to take charge of training sessions as Simba gear up for a demanding schedule that includes the Mapinduzi Cup, the CAF Champions League, the Tanzania Mainland Premier League and the CRDB Federation Cup.

Barker replaces Dimitar Pantev, whose tenure lasted just 61 days, and now faces two defining challenges that will shape his time at the club.

The first is ending Simba’s prolonged domestic title drought, while the second is rescuing a faltering CAF Champions League campaign.

Simba have gone four consecutive seasons without winning the Tanzania Mainland Premier League, a hurdle that has proven too high for several coaches before Barker.

Since lifting the title in the 2020 to 2021 season under Didier Gomes, a succession of tacticians have failed to restore domestic dominance.

Gomes lasted 280 days, followed by Pablo Franco, Roberto Oliveira Robertinho, Abdelhak Benchikha and Fadlu Davids.

None managed to stop the rise of arch rivals Young Africans, who have dominated the league and claimed six consecutive victories over Simba across competitions between the 2021 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025 seasons.

Simba’s struggles have also extended to knockout competitions. Over the past four seasons, the Msimbazi Reds have failed to reach the CRDB Federation Cup final, while Yanga collected multiple titles during the same period.

Simba’s only silverware since their last league title has been the Community Shield in 2023 and the Muungano Cup in 2024, achievements that have done little to calm growing fan frustration.

On the continental stage, Barker inherits a difficult situation. Simba are winless after two matches in CAF Champions League Group D, leaving their quarterfinal hopes hanging in the balance.

Two decisive fixtures against Esperance of Tunisia, away on January 23 and at home on January 30, now loom large.

While continental progress is vital, Barker’s long term task will be restoring belief at home and reconnecting Simba with their supporters. With patience wearing thin and expectations sky high, results will be demanded quickly.

Despite the pressure, Simba’s leadership believes Barker’s track record makes him the right man for the job.

At Stellenbosch FC, he delivered the most successful spell in the club’s history, highlighted by victory in the 2023 Carling Knockout Cup and qualification for CAF competitions.

Now in Dar es Salaam, Barker faces a familiar challenge on a bigger stage: building structure, instilling belief and delivering results in an unforgiving environment where success is not optional but expected.