Simba Bhora Triumph A Cinderella Story
Watching teams like Caps United, Dynamos, Highlanders or FC Platinum winning the league can undoubtedly be a religious experience, and when a team that almost got relegated in their first season in the Premier League comes back and wins in the second season, that’s like David taking down Goliath. It defies impossible odds, those exploits are forever cemented in sports scripture.
The underdog teams represent the underdog story of Cinderella, who rose from humble beginnings to eventually become royalty.
Cinderella stories make sports great. It is always a good feeling to see once-lowly figures triumphing against all odds.
Who didn’t enjoy watching German side Bayer Leverkusen as they stunned the world of football after winning their first-ever Bundesliga title dislodging perennial winners Bayern Munich? Or Leicester City who won the English Premier League out of nowhere in 2016.
There are a lot of examples, Sir Alex Ferguson was hired by Manchester United after writing an incredible Cinderella story with the unheralded Scottish side Aberdeen in 1979 after destroying the dominance of Glasgow giants Celtics and Rangers to clinch the title and further went ahead to win the European Cup Winner’s cup and European Super Cup beating Bayern Munich on their way to the final before shocking Real Madrid 2-1 to win the European cup in 1983 and later defeated Humburger in 2 legs to lift the Super Cup in the same year.
Our latest Cinderella story is a bit more special because it comes from home in Zimbabwe- where a newly formed Shamva-based outfit Simba Bhora defied all odds to clinch the premiership title with two matches still to be played in the country’s topflight football 2024 campaign harnessing incredible 66 points from 32 games.
After a slow start in the Zimbabwe premiership 2023 season where they eventually finished in 12th position, Simba Bhora turned the tables to emerge victorious under the guidance of ambitious coach Tonderai Ndiraya in the 2024 season.
Simba Bhora remains undefeated at home ahead of today’s final home fixture against Ngezi Platinum and they have only lost six times and drawn six times winning twenty in their 32 premier league matches so far.
The Shamva-based outfit secured their inaugural Castle Lager Premiership Soccer League title following their 1-0 win over Arenel on Wednesday.
The team’s remarkable performance marks them as our latest Cinderella story, showcasing their ability to defy the expected outcomes in premier league football.
Ever since its inception in 1980, the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League has had its fair share of teams that came from nowhere to lift the premiership title for the first time.
Black Aces surprised usual winners Highlanders and Dynamos by becoming premier league champions in 1992 followed by Amazulu who ended Highlanders’ five-year domination as they clinched the title for the first time in 2003.
Then newly formed Motor Action ended Caps United’s two-year domination after winning the title in 2006 for the first time in the team’s history.
Monomutapa United was the next to win the title for the first time in 2008 taking it away from defending champions Dynamos who had won it in 2007.
In 2009, Gunners F.C. an underdog team rose from the blue to emerge victorious, taking the title from the previous underdog side Monomutapa United.
Chicken Inn (2015) and Ngezi Platinum (2023) were the latest underdog teams to achieve glory before Simba Bhora’s exceptional journey.
