Simba SC’s newly appointed head coach, Dimitar Pantev, has officially left Botswana and is en route to Tanzania to begin his duties with the Msimbazi giants.
On Saturday, Simba confirmed the Bulgarian tactician’s arrival after reaching an agreement with Gaborone United to buy out the remainder of his contract, allowing him to join the club immediately. Pantev will be accompanied by his assistant coach, Byoko Kamenov, who also worked with him at Gaborone United.
The 49-year-old coach guided Gaborone United to the Botswana Premier League title last season. His key mission with Simba is clear — to restore the NBC Premier League title to Msimbazi, a trophy the club has missed out on for the past four seasons.
Pantev, born on June 26, 1976, in Varna, Bulgaria, holds a UEFA A coaching license. Before moving into coaching, he played as a midfielder at the top-flight level in Bulgaria. His playing career included stints at Cherno More, FC Suvolovo, Chernomorets Byala, Kaliakra Kavarna, Chernomorets Balchik, Volov Shumen, Dobrudzha, Vladislav, Shabla, and Spartak Varba.
He began his coaching career with Varna City’s youth side, later serving as assistant coach at Al Ahli Hebron, before taking charge at Flamengo, Victoria United, Johansen, Orapa United, and most recently Gaborone United. In his five years coaching in Africa, Pantev has won two league titles in two different countries — Cameroon and Botswana.
