CAF Confederation Cup

How Rivers Failed To Flow in Tunisia

Published

7 years ago

May 15, 2017

BY SAMMY WEJINYA

Nigeria’s Rivers United had a shaky beginning as the 2017 CAF Confederation Cup got underway at the weekend. No thanks to the 3-1 loss inflicted by Club Africain.

The score line put the Nigerian side trailing third in a group of four teams as another North African side, FUS Rabat beat Uganda’s KCCA by three goals to nil to take an early lead of the group.

The Nigerian club failed to hit expected heights in the first half as the Tunisians deservedly took a 2-0 lead into the break courtesy of goals from Ifa Bilal who rose highest to head home a corner and Oussama Darragi who converted a penalty with frightening force on the stroke of half time to extend the hosts’ advantage.

The Pride of Rivers stormed back after the break and pulled a goal back through new boy, John Odumegwu who struck a precise effort into the far corner from the edge of the penalty area past the Club Africain goal keeper Faruk Ben Mustapha.

With United on the ascendancy and looking the more likely of the two sides to claim the game’s next goal, disaster struck as Joseph Douhadji scored an own goal to restore Club Africain’s two-goal cushion.

Emeka Ogbugh missed a penalty with just over 11 minutes remaining as the Tunisians closed out a crucial win. Coach Stanley Eguma addressed the media after the defeat insisting that there were positives to draw from the defeat. “We did not find our feet in the first half and conceded two goals,” he said at the post match press conference captured by www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.

“In the second half, we corrected our mistakes and scored a goal. We got a penalty and if we had converted it, it would have made a lot of difference as my boys would have pushed for the equalizer,” he said.

Head coach of Club Africain, Chibeb Ellili also voiced his sentiments after the pulsating contest decided at the Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès.

“Rivers United was fresher than us in the second half because I had four players who had not played for a long time in the team.

“The fitness was not there in the second half. Also, Rivers United had nothing to lose in the second half and they have a lot of fast players with and without the ball,” he said.

Rivers United will next meet table topper, FUS Rabat, in Port Harcourt on May 24.

Group A

P W D L F A GD Pts

FUS Rabat 1 1 0 0 3 0 +3 3

Club Africain 1 1 0 0 3 1 +2 3

Rivers United 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 0

KCCA 1 0 0 1 0 3 -3 0

CAF Confederation Cup

CAF draw brings Nigeria again against Benin Republic

Published

2 weeks ago

July 11, 2024

Kunle Solaja

El Kanemi Warriors to face Dadje of Benin Republic

After Nigeria and Benin have been drawn together together in the 2026 World Cup qualifying as well as that of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, another CAF draw has pitched the two teams together.

El-Kanemi will face Dadje of Benin Republic in the opening round of the CAF Confederation Cup. Nigeria’s second team, Enyimba FC are exempted from the first round.

The eight time Nigerian champions will face the winner of Hafia versus Rahimo of Burkina Faso.

CAF Confederation Cup

Enyimba exempted from Preliminary round as El-Kanemi fall in Pot 1 of Confederation Cup draw

Published

2 weeks ago

July 10, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Enyimba FC have drawn bye in the preliminary stage of the CAF Confederation Cup which draw will hold in Cairo on Thursday. The Nigerian team is among the 12 highest ranked teams in the competition.

Nigeria’s other representative are in Pot 1 along with 12 other clubs. The CAF Confederation Cup have 52 clubs representing 41 countries.

After the 12 exempted clubs, the remaining 40 clubs shall play in the preliminary round which consist of three ranked clubs and 37 non-ranked clubs according to the official clubs ranking.

Three pots of the 37 non-ranked teams are created considering their geographical proximity. The exempted teams and the ranked teams are distributed geographically.

CAF Confederation Cup

EXCLUSIVE! Abia Warriors’ Federation Cup loss saves Enyimba from CAF Confederation Cup disqualification

Published

4 weeks ago

June 30, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Enyimba saved by Abia Warriors loss at the President Federation Cup

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Had Abia Warriors won the President Federation Cup in tie with El-Kanemi Warriors on Saturday, Enyimba FC would have been disqualified from the CAF Confederation Cup.

Entry for the registration for both Confederation Cup and the CAF Champions League close this Sunday.

Sources at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) informed Sports Village Square that the eligibility code for any of the inter-clubs competitions, does not allow two clubs owned fully or partially by the same person or body to feature in the same competition.

Both Enyimba FC and Abia Warriors are known to be owned and funded by the Abia State Government.

Had Abia Warriors prevailed over El-Kanemi, they too, like Enyimba would have qualified for the Confederation Cup.

Like in UEFA clubs competitions, CAF would not have allowed teams owned fully or partially by the same body to feature in the same competition. In this case, the CAF Confederation Cup.

It would be a different issue, if one of the two were to be competing in the Champions League and the other in the Confederation Cup.

This is stated in Section L.03 of Article 55 of the CAF Men’s Licensing Regulations (2022 edition).

In accordance with the Regulations of CAF Confederation Cup which give precedence to the national cup winner over the third placed teams of the league in case of countries that qualified to enter two teams, the sacrificial lamb would have been Enyimba, whose position would have been taken by the next available team, Shooting Stars who placed fourth on the log.

It was partly in accordance to the Section IV of the CAF Confederation Cup Regulations (ENGAGEMENTS) that enabled the fourth placed Kwara United engaged in the 2022 edition as the entry closed while the Nigerian national cup was still at the quarter-final stage.