Kibadeni: The Final Return of the King at Msimbazi

                                                             

                                                                                          

Twenty years ago, Simba were on top of the African soccer scene reaching the final of the confederation of African Football cup. They started on a low note by progressing to the second round on an away goal advantage over Ferroviaro of Mozambique. Convincingly defeating Swaziland’s Manzini Wanderer home and away in the second round, they set up a quarter-final date with USM El Harrach of Algeria.  They sealed the tie with an almost unassailable first leg 3-0 home victory, they went on to lose 2-0 in Algiers but it was too late too little for the Algerians.

Maximizing home advantage, they crushed out AS Aviacao with a 3-1 thrashing before managing a barren draw in Luanda in the semi-final stage. They faced Stella Abidjan of Ivory Coast for the ultimate prize. They came close to winning it after forcing a barren draw in Abidjan only to lose it in Dar in front of a mammoth crazy crowd led by the then president,Ali Hassan Mwinyi. The 2-0 loss is a tragic story of tears, regrets, accusations and bitterness. Sadly some die-hard fans who had supported the club through thick and thin vowed never again to set up foot in a football stadium. They could not stomach the unimagined loss, after all Simba had not lost at home, winning all their matches and conceding only a single goal all the way to the finals.

The man who inspired that glorious charge is back. It is the return of the King, also fondly known as Mputa, a famous Ngoni chief who aggressively conquered a wide area from Zambezi to Songea with his scorched earth policy strategy.  Abdallah Kibadeni, is a respected figure in Simba for not only being the only striker so far to bag a hat-trick against bitter rivals, Yanga, a feat he achieved in the historic 1977 6-0 massacre of Jangwani, he has excelled both as a coach and player. A feared striker in his prime was on the team that made history in continental football by overcoming a 4-0 home thrashing against Zambian club, Mufulira Wanderer, winning 5-0 in front of the soccer-mad Zambian president, Kenneth Kaunda.

Once again, Kibadeni is back as the head coach of Simba with a mission of restoring Msimbazi to its former glory after a disappointing third place finish last season and a 2-0 drubbing by arch-rivals, Yanga on the last day. He is in charge of a very inexperienced squad that is peppered up by a few veterans. Gone are seasoned players such as Kaseja, Kazimoto, Maftah, Moshi, and Sunzu. His mission will be to guide Simba to the league title. In some quarters, he is written off as an old man past his best days, notwithstanding his vast experience, his coaching credentials are questioned especially in light of modern training. Perhaps as a precaution measure, it was reported that he was handed a one-year contract. If he fails to deliver this season he won’t be a huge liability to write off given the one-year contract.

 Some critics see it as positive forward, recognition of  a club hero who is not only capable of delivering success but has a proven track record. After all, King Kibadeni has seen it all both as a coach and player. His return is probably a final farewell after a memorable career both as a coach and a player in Msimbazi. He has served the club, scaling heights in domestic and continental football scenes and this is his signing off period. A one-year contract might not be much but it could as well lead to a glorious exit for the legend.