Sam Simbwa To Coach Somalia's CECAFA Team

Sam Ssimbwa has been appointed as the Somalia national soccer team coach for the upcoming Cecafa Tusker Challenge Cup that begins on saturday 24th November.

Simbwa is the coach of local soccer outfit SC Victoria.

The former Express Coach has been given the green light by his bosses at the club to take up the role for the two weeks tournament, according to the club’s website.

“I am pleased that my club allowed me to take this opportunity”, Ssimbwa said before adding “It shows that the club is supportive in my growth as a coach”

Simbwa started his work on Monday and relished the chance of coaching a national. The closest he has come to a national side was when he deputized Uganda Cranes’ Muhamad Abbas seven years ago.

“It is always an honour to coach a national team. To many, Somalia may not have a chance of winning but they may have the chance to showcase some good football.

“I am ready to take that chance with the players and make the best of it. Good progress will be beneficial to all of us; the players and I.”

“My target is to reach the quarter-finals”, he added.

Somalia’s team also known as the Ocean Stars were the first team to jet into the country a week ago and are camped at Namboole Sports Hotel. Their early arrival was due to the insecurity in their country.

What waits to be seen is how the technical team’s hierarchy is going appear since the side had travelled with Abdi Farah Ali (Head Coach) and Abdi Isak Mohamed (Asst. Coach).

However, reports from Somalia camp indicate that they requested for Ssimbwa’s services the moment they arrived here but were just waiting for permission from his university side.

Earlier, there were reports that SC Villa Coach Paul Nkata was named on the team’s technical team but he rubbished them as rumours.

“It’s not true”, Nkata told Kawowo Sports. “I’m concentrating on my job at Villa Park at the moment. Those are rumours”, he concluded.

The Ocean stars are in group B alongside Tanzania, Sudan and Burundi and will play their first game on Nov. 25 against Burundi.