Simba SC striker Ibrahim Doumbia has thanked the club’s fans for continuing to support him despite enduring a difficult spell without scoring since joining the team at the start of the season, insisting that he has now turned a new page and that the real work of finding more goals begins.
Doumbia made the remarks after scoring twice in Simba’s 6-1 victory over Equatorial Guinea’s 15 de Agosto in the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League at Uhuru Stadium in Dar es Salaam.
The goals were the striker’s first in a Simba shirt, ending a lengthy wait as he searched for an opportunity to demonstrate his goalscoring ability.
Reflecting on the period he spent without scoring, Doumbia admitted that it had been a major challenge, particularly given the expectations surrounding his signing by Simba to strengthen their attacking department.
The striker said he felt hurt whenever he finished a match without scoring, knowing that his primary responsibility was to help the team find the net and secure positive results.
However, he said he did not lose hope because of the support he received from his teammates, the technical bench and the club’s leadership, who continued to encourage him during a period when things were not going his way.
“My teammates were helping me mentally and encouraging me to focus on my work on the pitch rather than paying attention to what people were saying. The technical bench and the club’s leadership also encouraged me to keep fighting,” Doumbia explained.
He added that scoring twice in the match had given him renewed hope, and he believes he has now opened the door to scoring more goals in upcoming games.
Explains the Pressure He Has Faced in Tanzania
Doumbia admitted that playing football in Tanzania had taught him many new things, noting that the level of competition and pressure facing Simba players differs from the environment he was accustomed to in Mali.
He said Simba is a club with high-quality players, while the Tanzanian Premier League is highly competitive, meaning individual performances attract considerable attention.
He explained that players receive praise when they perform well, but when they go through difficult periods, their struggles also become a talking point among fans and football stakeholders.
The situation increased the pressure on him after he failed to score in his first two CAF Champions League matches and eight NBC Mainland Premier League games for Simba.
Despite these challenges, Doumbia said he continues to learn and adapt to the Tanzanian football environment as he works to improve his performances.
