Tanzania's Hassan Hails Simba After Reaching African Final Against Berkane

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has congratulated Simba SC for their historic achievement after they secured a place in the CAF Confederation Cup final.

Simba battled to a goalless draw against Stellenbosch in Durban on Sunday, progressing 1-0 on aggregate to book their spot in the title decider. They will face Moroccan giants Renaissance Berkane in a two-legged final next month, with the first leg scheduled for May 17 in Morocco and the return match set for May 25 in Dar es Salaam.

President Hassan praised the team for their landmark success, saying, Heartiest congratulations to Simba for winning the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final, and making history by reaching the final of this competition. You have brought great honour to our country. I wish you all the best. You have my support at all times.

Guided by South African coach Fadlu Davids, Simba have now matched the achievement of their arch-rivals Young Africans, who reached the same final last year but lost to Algeria's USM Alger on away goals. Simbas only previous continental final appearance came back in 1993 when they lost to Ivory Coast's Stella Abidjan in the now-defunct CAF Cup.

Their opponents, Berkane, who lost their unbeaten run with a 1-0 defeat at CS Constantine in Algeria, advanced comfortably 4-1 on aggregate. The Moroccan club has a strong pedigree in the competition, having lifted the Confederation Cup trophy twice, in 2020 and 2022, and finished as runners-up in 2019 and 2024.