Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
SIMBA Bhora’s first steps in the CAF Champions League will have a touch of home comfort, even away from home.
The Zimbabwean champions open their maiden continental campaign in Botswana on Sunday, boosted by the generosity of a compatriot who has turned his adopted country into a second base for Zimbabwean football.
With Zimbabwe still without a CAF-certified stadium, the Shamva side will host Nsingizi Hotspurs of Eswatini at Francistown Stadium in the first preliminary round. They will then head to Eswatini for the return leg a week later.
But before the second leg, Simba Bhora will decamp to Gaborone for a two day camp, thanks to Zimbabwean businessman Tendani Sebata.
Once a shareholder at Botswana giants Township Rollers and now the full owner of Black Lions, Sebata has offered his club’s training and accommodation facilities to the visiting champions.
“We spoke with Simba Bhora’s executive regarding them coming to Botswana. They will play their game on Sunday, then they will come to Gaborone and camp for two days before they proceed to Eswatini for the return leg,” Sebata told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
“We offered them our training facilities and the club house where they will be lodging.”
It is not the first time Sebata has extended a helping hand to a Zimbabwean team.
“I helped Dynamos last year when I was still with Township Rollers. Now that I own Black Lions, 100 percent, and I am a Zimbabwean in Botswana, it’s always good to help each other,” he said.
“Simba Bhora are my home team and I think they will do the same thing if my team comes to Zimbabwe. A home that does not have visitors is not a proper home. So it’s a great honour for us to assist them with logistics and hospitality,” Sebata added.
The reward for Simba Bhora, should they advance, is a second-round clash in October against either Gaborone United of Botswana or Tanzanian giants Simba SC.
The Mashonaland Central club booked their Champions League ticket by winning last season’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title, a first ever top flight crown for the province. Their debut now comes as CAF rolls out the 2025/26 TotalEnergies Champions League, which kicks off this Friday with a record 62 clubs.
CAF has guaranteed all teams eliminated in the first two preliminary rounds at least US$100 000 to help with logistics. “This measure is designed to encourage broader representation and strengthen the foundation of the competitions,” CAF said on its website.
