Goalkeeper Ayoub Lakred has said he feels proud to have been part of Simba's squad during the two seasons he served the Msimbazi Reds.
Lakred, who has completed his contract with Simba, is reportedly set to join FUS Rabat, a club from his home country of Morocco.
Lakred revealed that Simba felt like family to him, and he is proud to have been part of the team for two seasons, even though he did not play any competitive matches in his second season after suffering an injury during pre-season, which led to Simba excluding him from official registration despite continuing to pay his salary.
"Simba is not just a team; honestly, to me, it was family. I felt part of something bigger than football. The fans showed me genuine love, the coaching staff believed in my abilities, and my teammates made me feel at home,” Lakred was quoted as saying by Mwanaspoti.
Lakred said he learned a lot during his time at Simba, including experiencing the intense rivalry between Simba and Yanga, and realizing how passionate Tanzanian football fans are about their teams, often feeling deep disappointment when they lose to rivals.
Ayoub was part of the squad that lost 2-1 to Yanga in the Kariakoo Derby replay match of the 2023-2024 season, played on April 20 last year, following an earlier 5-1 defeat on November 5, 2023, where Aishi Manula was the starting goalkeeper.
Speaking about his time at Msimbazi since joining, the goalkeeper—who initially became Simba's first-choice keeper—said the experience was positive and filled with many good memories, especially during the 2023–24 season under coach Abdelhak Benchikha.
In that season, Simba advanced from Group B of the CAF Champions League, finishing second behind ASEC Mimosas, surpassing Wydad Casablanca of Morocco and Jwaneng Galaxy of Botswana.
However, Simba’s journey ended in the quarterfinals after being eliminated by Al Ahly with an aggregate score of 3-0, while their rivals Yanga were knocked out in a penalty shootout (3-2) by South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns.
