Simba Bhora Weighs CAF Champions League Participation
Simba Bhora head coach Tonderayi Ndiraya has said the club has not yet made a decision on whether to participate in the upcoming CAF Champions League, despite securing a spot by winning the Zimbabwean Premier Soccer League (PSL) title.
In an interview with State media, Ndiraya said that if the club chooses to enter the prestigious continental competition, it will need to sign high-quality players capable of competing at the highest level. Said Ndiraya:
We need to sit down as management and see if we want to play in Africa or not, but that is more of an administrative decision.
From a technical team point of view, we want to compete at this level, and that is a different challenge altogether.
While we will retain the bulk of our players, we also plan to enhance our squad to become more competitive than we were this season.
We will be facing champions from other countries, and that will not be easy. I have some experience of African football with Ngezi Platinum, Dynamos, and the national team.
I believe that this international experience will help us if we get the nod from the club leadership. We don’t want to go there just to make numbers.
In just their second season in the topflight, Simba Bhora clinched the PSL title with two games to spare, earning the right to represent Zimbabwe in the prestigious CAF Champions League.
The title win marked a historic achievement as Simba Bhora became only the fourth team, after St Paul’s Musami, Ngezi Platinum Stars, and FC Platinum, to win the championship outside of Harare and Bulawayo.
Simba Bhora also made history as the first team from Mashonaland Central Province to claim the PSL title.
St Paul’s Musami was from Mashonaland East, Ngezi Platinum is based in Mashonaland West, and FC Platinum is based in Midlands Province.
Simba Bhora will next face FC Platinum at Wadzanai Stadium before travelling to Nyamhunga Stadium to take on ZPC Kariba on the final matchday of the season.
Simba Bhora remains undefeated at home, and a win or draw against FC Platinum on Saturday will ensure an unbeaten home record for the league campaign.
At the start of the season, Simba Bhora made headlines by signing 11 new players, a move that has paid off in their remarkable title-winning run.
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