Brazilian coach Roberto Oliveira alias Robertinho exited Vipers SC a darling in the face of the fans, the administrators, the public and the media.
At the time of his departure, he had done enough to justify the love, as he was not only passionate about the game but also a serial winner.
In just 14 months, the tactician won two trophies, including the Uganda Premier League and the Uganda Cup. He also guided the Venoms to the CAF Champions League group stages for the first time ever.
At Simba SC where he was unveiled earlier in the week however, Robertinho may take a lot more time before winning over the ‘Msimbazi’ fans and the faithful in Tanzania.
A number of fans didn’t particularly welcome the appointment, especially because it was at the expense of interim coach Juma Mgunda.
“What is the reason for bringing this one? Did Mgunda not deliver,” a fan reacted on Simba’s Twitter post of Robertinho.
For starters, Mgunda had succeeded Serbian Zoran Manojlovic in June after he was shown the exit by the club.
Mgunda had won eight of the past ten matches in the Tanzania Premier League, with just two draws in the process, leaving them second on the table with 44 points, six adrift of nemesis Young Africans SC.
“Because of this (appointment), you have failed. Why would you make such changes in the middle of the season?” one fan questioned.
“What’s wrong with Mgunda? Why are you bringing us white coaches instead of Africans?”
“So sad Mgunda is judged by his nationality. He will remain a good coach,” another added.
“Simba doesn’t have a reason for not trusting Mgunda. Zero patience, zero advisors and zero leadership,” one frustrated and angry fan tweeted.
However, the kind of reaction is not just unique with Simba as it has happened elsewhere. It’s only a fact that with consistent success, the aforementioned will almost always easily remain tales of the past.
That said, the unforgiving Simba fans, who are synonymous with huge success, will only settle for the best, and everything better than what Yanga achieves.
