Simba SC players have been given a boost by Tanzanian President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan ahead of their eagerly anticipated clash against Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the newly launched African Football League (AFL).
The competition, which features eight of Africa’s top-ranked and iconic clubs, will kick off in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Friday at 18:00 local time.
The eight teams in the inaugural competition are Simba SC, Al Ahly, TP Mazembe, Enyimba, Esperance Tunisienne, Wydad Athletic Club, Mamelodi Sundowns, and Atlético Petróleos de Luanda.
Friday’s match at the sold-out Benjamin Mkapa Stadium marks the official start of the competition.
The Tanzanian giants go up against the 11-time African champions.
The club and its fans have been massively marketing the match in a bid to create an intimidating atmosphere for the visitors from Cairo before playing the return leg four days later.
Apart from having a sold-out stadium, Simba has further received a massive boost from Dr. Hassan.
The President has promised to reward the team for the goals they will score in the match against Ahly.
The club has revealed that the President will give a reward of Tsh. 10 million ($3,989.00) for every goal scored in the opening African Football League match.
Simba SC fires warning shots at Al Ahly
Simba’s media and communication manager, Ahmed Ally, said the club needs support to overcome a ‘tough’ Al Ahly side.
“We are aware that the game is going to be tough as we are facing a high-profile team on the continent,” Ally said.”But, in AFL, we are all competing for the first time; as such, we are at the same level.”
“We have defeated Al Alhly at Benjamin Mkapa twice but this time, we want to eliminate them from the AFL for us to make it to the semifinals.”
The last meeting between Simba and Al Ahly was on February 23rd, 2021. The Egyptians suffered a 1-0 defeat courtesy of a long-range strike by Luis Miquissone.
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The African Football League will be played over two legs, on a home and away basis, in a knockout format consisting of a quarter-final, semifinal, and final.
The lucrative tournament will see winners pocketing a prize of $4 million, with the runner-up getting $2.8 million.
The two semi-finalists will each get $1.7 million, while the quarter-finalists will each win $900,000.
