It is not every day in football that, from a distance, one can easily tell which team is most likely to win the league championship — in this case, the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
Simba Bhora have presented their case in such a compelling manner that -- for many reasons -- the feeling persists that they will be crowned Zimbabwe soccer champions come the end of the season on November 15.
Surely, we are not soothsayers, nor are we the best of predictors, but there is something about this Simba Bhora team that makes us believe they are the best on offer in the Premiership.
There are others who believe unbeaten FC Platinum will snatch it from under everyone's noses while the majority are unanimous in their agreement that it will be Scottland's year.
However, Simba Bhora might have lost 2-0 in midweek match to TelOne away at Ascot Stadium in Gweru — but even the best lose.
After all, Wimbledon top seed ArynaSabalenka was sent crashing out of the Grand Slam by 13th seed Amanda Anisimova.
Football predictions sometimes go wrong, but we are taking this day — Sunday, July 27 — as the day of reference for our bold prediction: the team from Shamva will win a second successive title.
After all, Simba Bhora are the only team in the title-chasing pack who have not benefitted from abandoned matches or dubious referee calls.
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Instead, they have done their talking through their performances on the field of play.
FC Platinum got three points and three goals from their aborted match against Dynamos, while Scottland received the same reward from their abandoned game against Chicken Inn.
MWOS were involved in two heavily disputed drawn matches — against TelOne and Manica Diamonds — while TelOne, for their part, benefitted from a controversial penalty in their 1-0 win over Bikita Minerals on May 3.
In contrast, Simba Bhora have been clean.
Their performances have been so impressive that any football-loving visitor to Zimbabwe would agree that ChinhuChedu truly deserves to represent the nation in Pan-African football — and, more specifically, in the CAF Champions League.
Simba Bhora have been excellent on the road, picking up 20 of their 43 points from six wins, two draws, and three losses in their 11 away matches.
What is heartening is that they have played at some of the most difficult venues — against Caps United, Highlanders, Ngezi Platinum Stars, and Herentals — and returned to Shamva with all three points.
At home, the team from Shamva also boasts a solid record: six wins, five draws, and no losses for a total of 23 points from 11 matches.
All in all, Simba Bhora are the most consistent team among the 18 clubs that make up the PSL family, both at home and away.
After all, they take their name from Simba of Tanzania — one of the best clubs in African football — and Simba, the Democratic Republic of Congo national team that qualified for the 1974 World Cup, then known as Zaire.
The word Simba means “lion” in Swahili — but are the lions of Zimbabwe ready to roar again?
Statistics - so far - point to another title for the boys from Shamva. The question now is: can they hold off the challenge from FC Platinum, MWOS, and Scottland ? - Many believe they can.
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