Simba head coach Steve Barker is expected to arrive in the country after the Christmas holiday festivities to officially begin his duties, and he is set to come along with his technical staff.
It is reported that Barker has also requested that coach Suleiman Matola remain part of the technical bench.
A reliable source from within Simba has revealed that Matola will continue working with Barker as the second assistant coach, after Barker insisted on retaining him despite arriving with his own assistants.
The source disclosed that the long-standing friendship between Barker and Matola, strengthened through former Simba coach Fadlu Davids, is the reason the South African coach proposed working with him. Barker believes Matola’s experience and long familiarity with the players will help ease his task of building a strong Simba side.
“It is true that Matola will remain part of the technical bench. This follows Barker’s recommendation to continue working with him, and it is understood that the two had been in communication beforehand,” the source was quoted by Mwanaspoti.
“He will serve as the second assistant coach because Barker already has his own assistant who will arrive in the coming days to join the team. Therefore, there is no plan to part ways with Matola, contrary to earlier reports that he would step aside once the new coach arrived with his technical bench.”
