After leading Express Football Club to the Bell Lager League title on Sunday, Coach Sam Ssimbwa has said he is not sure he will remain at the club for the coming season.
In a telephone interview with URN on Monday, Ssimbwa said after handling a team that is not well funded for the whole season and now winning the title, he is thinking a lot about the next step although he also admitted that some clubs from within the region had already contacted him even before the League climaxed on Sunday.
Ssimbwa’s team broke the 16 year old jinx when they beat Bidco FC 2-1, while their close rivals URA FC and Bunnamwaya FC all failed to accumulate their number of points. The former Cranes winger and recently assistant coach to Bobby Williamson in the national team expressed happiness saying he guided a team of young boys to a League win in a truly very competitive season.
Ssimbwa, who joined Express late last year after being sacked by Kenya’s Sofapaka FC, said he has always believed in his players and he is sure if the club management injected more money into the team and also recruited some good senior players from the region, they could seriously compete for the lucrative Orange Africa Champions League.
The Red Eagles as Express are called, lifted the trophy on 54 points, while Bunnamwaya who beat the defending champions URA 1-0, finished second on 53 points and Alex Isabirye’s URA came third.
Ssimbwa said he will first take a rest before making a decision before the month ends on where he will be next season. However, there is reported speculation in Nairobi that he could be headed to one of Kenya’s big teams, AFC Leopards, who currently have a European coach.
While Express FC was celebrating winning the league title, three other clubs Fire Masters FC, Hoima-Busia and UTODA were relegated as they failed to match the standards of top flight football. Top players and teams are expected to receive prizes on June 29 during the official Awards dinner organized by the sponsors, Uganda Breweries Limited through their Bell Lager brand.
