CAF Confederation Cup
WHO LIFT CAF CONFEDERATION CUP?
BY APESIN ADEMOLA.
The first of two legs to determine the champions of Africa’s second tier club competition holds at the 45,000 capacity Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca.
Nigerians will understandably support DR Congo’s AS Vita Club to lift the title; their opponents Raja Casablanca being responsible for the exit of Enyimba in the semifinals on 3-1 aggregate.
Going down memory lane also, it was a Moroccan team (FAR Rabat) that denied Dolphins the CAF Confederation Cup in 2005. Dolphins, which have since been merged with Sharks to form Rivers United, pipped FAR 1-0 in Port Harcourt on November 6 of that year but got humiliated 3-0 in Rabat 13 days later.
DR Congo have also incurred the wrath of Nigerians. TP Mazembe inflicted pains on a Nigerian club in the final of a continental club competition.
In the 2009 edition of CAF Champions League, TP Mazembe denied Heartland the opportunity of becoming the second Nigerian team to win the CAF Champions League after Enyimba’s back-to-back victories in 2003 and 2004. In the first leg at the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, Heartland managed to win 2-1. Losing the reverse fixture 0-1 in Lubumbashi, meant that TP Mazembe won that title for the third time on away goal advantage.
AS Vita Club’s journey in Africa this year started at the CAF Champions League where they bundled out Malawi’s Mighty Wanderers 6-1 at the preliminary round but lost 2-3 aggregate to Morocco’s Difaâ Hassani d’el-Jadida 2-3 to be relegated to the Confederation Cup.
In the playoff, AS Vita Club, the current champions of the Linafoot (DR Congo’s top flight league), walloped neighbouring Congo Republic’s La Mancha 6-1 aggregate and were paired with tonight’s opponents Raja Casablanca in the group stage.
In the first leg in Casablanca, both sides played goalless, while AS Vita Club prevailed at home 2-0 in the return match. Raja however won the group, while AS Vita Club qualified for the quarterfinals as runners-up.
Another Moroccan team RS Berkane were Vita Club’s victims in the quarterfinals which they won 4-2, while Al-Masry of Egypt fell 0-4 in the last four.
This is Vita Club’s first time in the final of any CAF club tournament since winning the 1973 African Cup of Champions Clubs. They will be seeking to keep the CAF Confederation Cup at home as TP Mazembe were champions last year following a successful defence of the title they won the previous year.
Raja, on their part, have three CAF Champions League and one Confederation Cup shields in their trophy cabinet.
The Moroccan club eliminated FC Nouadhibou of Mauritania and Zambia’s Zanaco on their way to the group stage of the competition. Having won Group A that included AS Vita Club, Raja knocked out CARA Brazzaville of Congo Republic 3-1 in the quarterfinals before coming to Enyimba International Stadium, Aba to beat the home side 1-0 and consolidated 2-1 in Casablanca.
The winners of the Confederation Cup this year will have achieved a first for their home association as it will field three teams as against the maximum two in the 2018/19 edition.
As a result of the abridged nature of the 2018/19 CAF club tournaments, the identify of the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup winners was not known when the draw was conducted on November 3 ahead of the preliminary round which starts next Tuesday.
With AS Vita Club having already qualified for the Champions League, SM Sanga Balende, the fourth placed side in the 2017/18 domestic league in DR Congo, will be listed in the 2018/19 CAF Confederation Cup if their compatriots overcome Raja Casablanca. They will join DC Motema Pembe and AS Nyuki as DR Congo’s contingent to the competition. But while those other teams will start from the preliminary round, SM Sanga Balende will receive a bye into the first round.
The same situation will apply if Raja lift the CAF Confederation Cup. Unlike AS Vita Club however, Raja have failed to qualify for any CAF competition but will go straight to the first round of the next Confederation Cup if they win the current edition, the same stage RS Berkane, another Moroccan representatives, will start their CAF Confederation Cup journey. What will them be Morocco’s third team Hassania Agadir will line up at the preliminary stage.
Fixture…
CAF Confederation Cup (Final first leg): Raja Casablanca (Morocco) v AS Vita Club (DR Congo) (8pm)
CAF Confederation Cup
Shooting Stars, Ikorodu City, in Winner-Takes-All Quest for Confederation Cup ticket
By Kunle Solaja.
The battle for the Nigeria Premier Football League’s remaining CAF Confederation Cup ticket will go down to the wire on the final day of the season, with Shooting Stars and Ikorodu City locked in a tense race for third place.
While title contenders, Enugu Rangers International and Rivers United, have already secured Nigeria’s slots in next season’s CAF Champions League, the contest for the Confederation Cup place remains delicately poised.
Shooting Stars currently occupy third position with 60 points, holding a narrow two-point advantage over fourth-placed Ikorodu City, who sit on 58 points ahead of the 24 May decisive fixtures.
The Ibadan side is in pole position and needs only to avoid defeat away to Niger Tornadoes to confirm a return to continental football next season.
However, Ikorodu City still has a fighting chance of snatching the ticket.
The Lagos-based club must defeat title-chasing Rangers and hope Shooting Stars stumble against Niger Tornadoes to overturn the deficit and leapfrog the Oluyole Warriors into third place.
Their clash against Rangers is expected to rank among the standout fixtures of the final day, with both teams carrying huge ambitions into the encounter.
For Ikorodu City, the situation revives painful memories from last season when they chased a continental ticket from two fronts but ended up empty-handed.
The club narrowly missed out on third place after suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat to eventual champions Remo Stars in Ikenne on the final day, despite taking the lead in the encounter. The result pushed them down to fourth position.
Their hopes of reaching the continent through the Federation Cup also ended in heartbreak after a penalty shootout loss to Abakaliki FC in the semi-finals following a goalless draw.
Now, with another opportunity within reach, Ikorodu City will hope fortune finally smiles on them as they seek what would be a historic continental qualification.
With the title race, continental qualification battle, and survival struggles all still unresolved, the final day of the NPFL season is set to deliver tension and drama across the country.
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Hosts USM Alger converted a controversial stoppage-time penalty to edge Egyptian giants Zamalek 1-0 in Saturday’s first leg of the African Confederation Cup final at the Stade du 5 Juillet in the Algerian capital Algiers.
Ahmed Khaldi converted the spot kick after Zamalek thought they had snatched a late winner through Brazilian substitute Juan Alvina, who ran half the length of the pitch to tuck away a superb individual effort.
But the strike was ruled out, and play was brought back for a foul in the build-up when VAR found Hossam Abdelmaguid had caught Rayane Mahrouz with a knee in the back.
Early in the second half, Zamalek’s Angolan import Chico Banza had a looping effort over USMA goalkeeper Oussama Benbot cleared off the line by defender Hocine Dehiri
USMA enjoyed fervent support but will now be up against it in Cairo when Zamalek host the second leg next Saturday.
Zamalek previously won the Confederation Cup in 2019 and 2024, while USMA were victors in 2023.
-Reuters
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Two of Africa’s most decorated clubs will renew their continental ambitions on Saturday when USM Alger host Zamalek SC in the first leg of the 2025/26 CAF Confederation Cup final in Algiers.
The eagerly anticipated showdown at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 is expected to set the tone for what promises to be another fiercely contested final in Africa’s secondary club competition, with not only continental prestige at stake but also a record first prize of USD 4 million for the eventual winners.
USM Alger, champions in 2023, will be aiming to reclaim the title they won after edging Tanzania’s Young Africans on away goals in a dramatic two-legged final. The Algerian side booked their place in this season’s final through another tense away-goals triumph, eliminating Morocco’s Olympic Club Safi after a 1-1 aggregate draw.
For Zamalek, the final presents an opportunity to further cement their reputation as one of Africa’s elite clubs. The Egyptian giants lifted the Confederation Cup in 2019 and again in 2024, beating Morocco’s RS Berkane on both occasions after nail-biting aggregate scorelines.
The White Knights also had to navigate a difficult semi-final path this season, edging fellow Algerian side CR Belouizdad 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a crucial away victory inspired by Brazilian forward Juan Alvina.
Recent history suggests little will separate the two finalists. Several Confederation Cup finals in recent years have been decided on away goals or penalties, and another tight contest is widely expected over the two legs.
Saturday’s opening encounter in Algiers will be officiated by Mauritanian referee Dahane Beida, while Gabonese official Pierre Atcho will handle the decisive return leg in Cairo on 16 May.
With a passionate home crowd expected behind them, USM Alger will look to establish an advantage before travelling to the intimidating atmosphere of Cairo International Stadium for the second leg.
Zamalek, however, arrive with vast continental experience and a proven ability to thrive under pressure in away fixtures, setting the stage for a compelling battle between North African heavyweights.
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