Tanzania Football Fans In La Liga Giants Sevilla May 23 Big Treat
18th April 2019
Record five-time UEFA Europa League winners to play either of Dar giants Simba SC or Yanga SC in their first visit to East Africa
- Dar eternal rivals and East African giants, Simba SC and Yanga SC will play in a one-off derby to determine who gets to play the oldest football club in Spain according to a press statement released by the Andalucian giants on their website on Wednesday
- Beside the USD30,000 prize money, Sharks got the privilige to host nine-time England league winners Everton in Nairobi, a prize that has eluded proud Tanzanian teams for the past three years the SportPesa Cup has been in existence
- Sevilla FC will be the second European club to visit Tanzania after Everton did so in 2017. Sevilla will return to Africa less than a year after playing the Spanish Supercup final in Tangiers, Morocco. They also played in Morocco four years ago, playing a post-season match against Hassania Union Sport d’Agadir
NAIROBI, Kenya- After missing their chance to host Everton FC in the post-season following another Kenyan SportPesa Cup victory in Dar-es-Salaam in January, devoted Tanzania football fans will be delighted to welcome another European football giant when they host five-time UEFA Europa League champions, Sevilla FC on May 23.
Dar eternal rivals and East African giants, Simba SC and Yanga SC will play in a one-off derby to determine who gets to play the oldest football club in Spain according to a press statement released by the Andalucian giants on their website on Wednesday.
"Sevilla FC will take part in a post-season game on 23 May in Tanzania against a local club. The Nervionenses will play the winners of the two most popular teams in Tanzania, Simba SC and Young Africans SC.
The match is part of La Liga World powered by technology and entertainment business SportPesa, a strand of the La Liga World Challenge project which seeks to expand the Spanish brand throughout the world," the announcement declared.
DO NOT MISS: Mwendwa Delivers Sharks To SportPesa Cup, Everton Dreamland
The news will come as a welcome boost for Tanzania football lovers who were disappointed in January when they hosted the third edition of the SportPesa Cup in the commercial capital only to see Kenyan side, Kariobangi Sharks FC lift the regional invitational eight-team tournament crown when they beat domestic rivals Bandari FC 1-0 in the final.
Beside the USD30,000 prize money, Sharks got the privilige to host nine-time England league winners Everton in Nairobi, a prize that has eluded proud Tanzanian teams for the past three years the SportPesa Cup has been in existence.
Inaugural championship
SportPesa Premier League winners, Gor Mahia FC won the inaugural championship in June 2017 and played the Blues at the National Stadium in Dar in July in front of tens of thousands of football lovers in Tanzania before they retained the title last year at Afraha Stadium, Nakuru at the expense of Simba who lost 0-2 in the final. Gor travelled to England to play Everton last October.
DO NOT MISS: Simba Outshoot Dogged Mbao For SportPesa Cup Bronze Roar
With Sevilla coming to town, Tanzania supporters who have desired seeing their teams play the best competition in world football will no doubt turn the National Stadium into a cauldron.
GOOD JOB GUYS: Meddie Kagere (right) looks on as his Simba SC teammates celebrate scoring against AFC Leopards SC in the fourth and last quarterfinal of the 2019 SportPesa Cup at the Main National Stadium in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania on January 23, 2019. PHOTO/AFP
Simba had a fantastic run in the CAF Champions League, making the quarter finals of the prestigious continental club football showpiece where their fairytale run was ended in a 1-4 defeat to five time winners and Democratic Republic of Congo heavyweights, TP Mazembe.
Yanga, who are record 27-time Tanzanian league winners, are vying for a 28th crown, leading the standings on 74 points from 31 games, eight clear of second placed Azam FC who have fielded in the same number of matches.
Simba (57) are third but with a massive nine games in hand following their deep run in the Champions League.
DO NOT MISS: Rival Man City, Man United Fans Share SportPesa Midweek Jackpot Joy
The Wanajangwani as Yanga are affectionately known had no continental distractions this season having exited the CAF Confederations Cup in the previous edition when they finished bottom of a pool that had USMA Alger (Algeria), Rayon Sport (Rwanda) and Gor.
Great opportunity
"As a global competition, La Liga must be close to its fans. It's a great opportunity for everyone that our Tanzanian fans can see a great club in Sevilla FC up close,' declared Óscar Mayo, Director of La Liga's International Development, after sealing the deal that will see Sevilla play in Africa.
'We are working with some of the most prestigious footballing institutions in the world so we considered it necessary to bring an experience of this magnitude to Tanzania, allowing us all to enjoy one of Europe's most emblematic clubs in Sevilla FC.
"Thanks to this agreement with La Liga, the best league in the world, we can show the quality we have in our country and help the level of local football here grow,' stated Tarimba Abbas, SportPesa Tanzania Director in Charge of Administration added.
DO NOT MISS: Arsenal Superstar Ozil Now Brands Entire Kenyan Herds Boy Team
Sevilla FC will be the second European club to visit Tanzania after Everton did so in 2017. Sevilla will return to Africa less than a year after playing the Spanish Supercup final in Tangiers, Morocco. They also played in Morocco four years ago, playing a post-season match against Hassania Union Sport d’Agadir.
Yanga SC captain Ibrahim Ajibu during a training session at the Police Grounds in Dar es Saalam, Tnazania on Monday, January 21, 2019 ahead of the SportPesa Cup. PHOTO/SPN