Miguel Gamondi, coach of Young Africans, has revealed a challenging aspect of Tanzanian football that Simba SC’s new coach, Fadlu Davids, should be aware of as he begins his tenure at the renowned Dar es Salaam club.

Gamondi guided Yanga to a 1-0 victory over Simba in Davids’ first Kariakoo Derby on Thursday night at the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium. Ahead of that tie, the Argentinian mentor shared some important advice with his counterpart.

The former Orlando Pirates assistant coach, Davids, took over as Wekundu wa Msimbazi’s coach last month and has been tasked to turn around the club’s fortunes. His new club has watched their bitter rivals, Yanga SC dominate Tanzanian football in the last three seasons.

Gamondi believes coaching in Africa presents unique challenges that require a strong belief in one’s capacity.

“In football, everyone is a coach. Even those who lack knowledge can offer an opinion,” Gamondi told FARPost. “This is unlike other professions where you can’t dictate to a lawyer, doctor, or engineer. However, in football, such discussions are part of our job.”

WHAT ADVICE DID MIGUEL GAMONDI SHARE WITH FADLU DAVIDS

He is convinced for any coach to succeed “support of the coach by management” is key. “The most important is to know the culture of the country,” he added. “The culture is different in every country. I’ve worked in 10 countries before, and I know it’s important to take time to understand the culture.”

Gamondi explains that the rule permitting 12 foreign players on a team creates a complex scenario in which a coach must understand and effectively manage players from up to 11 different nationalities.

Davids has nine different nationalities in his ranks: Guinea’s Moussa Camara, Ayoub Lakred of Morocco, Angolan Deborah Fernandes, and the Ivorian duo of Charles Ahoua and Freddy Kouablan. He also has Nigerian Augustine Okejepha, Zambian Joshua Mutale, Che Malone, a Cameroon native, Burkinabe Valentin Nouma, and Congolese midfielder Fabrice Ngoma. Stephen Mukwala, a Ugandan, is the 11th foreign national in the Davids’ team.

“Here, there are 12 slots for foreigners, and sometimes we have 10 or 11 nationalities in a team, and you must manage this. The language and the culture, and psychologically, it’s not easy. The key is also to start well in terms of results,” he explained.

In his case, he believes he was lucky as he was hired by a club whose president, Engineer Hersi Ally Said, understands football.

“I was lucky. and made the right choice. As a coach I didn’t know Yanga a lot. I didn’t know the president but when we spoke for one hour via video call, I could feel these are people passionate about football.

“I have a lot of experience in Africa; I know a lot of presidents. I’ve been coaching on the continent for 25 years, and I can count on my one-hand presidents who really know football. That’s very important.”

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