 | |||
| Full name | Simba Sports Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Wekundu wa Msimbazi (Reds of Msimbazi) or Lunyasi | ||
| Short name | SSC | ||
| Founded | 1936 | ||
| Ground | Benjamin Mkapa Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 60,000 | ||
| Chairman | Murtaza Mangungu | ||
| Head Coach | Abdelhak Benchikha | ||
| League | Tanzanian Premier League | ||
| 2022-23 | 2nd of 16 | ||
| Website | Club website | ||
|
| |||
Simba Sports Club is a professional football club based in Kariakoo ward in Ilala District of Dar es Salaam Region in Tanzania.
It was founded in 1936 as Queen before being renamed to Sunderland and, in 1971, was finally renamed Simba (Swahili for "Lion"). The team's nickname, Wekundu wa Msimbazi (The Reds of Msimbazi), is a reference to their all-red home strip and Msimbazi Street in Kariakoo where their headquarters is based.
Simba SC has won 22 league titles and five domestic cups and has participated in CAF Champions League multiple times. It is also among the giant clubs in East and Central Africa, having won the CECAFA Club Championship six times.
Simba plays their home games at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Miburani ward of Temeke District. In 2022, Simba was the fastest growing Instagram account among football clubs, with 1.9 million followers and a growth of 89% from the previous year.[1]
The club was ranked among the top ten clubs in Africa, at number 10, by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) in their May 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023 rankings.[2] Globally, the club was ranked at number 105 in the IFFHS World Ranking.[3]
The club is one of the richest in East Africa, with a total budget of TSh 6.1 billion (equivalent to $5.3 million) unveiled for the 2019/2020 season.[4]
Simba holds a long-standing rivalry with Yanga with whom they contest the Kariakoo derby, named after the ward where both teams were founded. The rivalry was ranked 5th as one of the most famous African derbies.[5]
