Tanzania Giants Simba Sack Coach Patrick Aussems

Tanzania Premier League champions Simba SC have fired Belgian coach Patrick Aussems and replaced him with Deniss Kitambi who will serve as interim coach, the club has confirmed.

After failing to meet the club’s African Champions League target of reaching the group stages, Simba has decided to wield the axe on the Belgian tactician who took over from Pierre Lechantre as head coach in July 2018, signing a two-year deal.

Simba made it to the group stages in the last edition, the furthest they have reached in the Champions League, but they were knocked out of this year’s tournament by Mozambican side UD Songo before the group phase.

The removal of Aussems comes less than a week after Ducor Sports had hinted that the experienced coach was on his way out, with several clubs including Zambian side Nkana FC and AS Vita of DR Congo eyeing for his signature.

“The Board of Directors of Simba Sports Company Limited has terminated the service of Patrick Aussems as its club’s head coach effective and immediately,” reads a statement signed by the club secretary Senzo Batha

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “The Board has reached the decision to terminate the services of Aussems for failure to execute his duties to the satisfaction and standard agreed in the contract of employment, including failure of the club to reach the group stage of 2019/2020 CAF Champions League.”   [/perfectpullquote]

Dennis Kitambi, who was one of Aussems’s assistants, has been put in charge of the team in a caretaker capacity until a replacement is found.

Simba have an intense schedule to complete over the rest of the domestic season because of their regional involvement.