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LOBI STARS, RANGERS BEGIN JOURNEY TO CONTINENTAL GLORY
BY APESIN ADEMOLA.
Nigerian clubs begin their campaign for continental glory this Wednesday, a day after some of their counterparts across Africa would have kicked off the 2018/19 edition of CAF Champions League and Confederation Cup.
In order to align with international football calendar, CAF will run its season from August to May next year. The transitional schedule therefore runs from this month and ends next May.
Nigerian teams have failed to do well in Africa in recent years and the federation will therefore have one club in each of the two club competitions. In the CAF Champions League, Premier League winners Lobi Stars will file out on Wednesday at Stade Municipal de Loum, a city in the Littoral Province of Cameroon. Their opponents will be Union des Mouvements Sportifs de Loum (UMS de Loum, for short)
On the same day, Federation Cup champions Enugu Rangers will host Ethiopia’s Defence Force in the CAF Confederation Cup.
Lobi Stars will be playing in Africa for the fifth time in their 37 years existence. It was not until 2000 that the Makurdi-based side first featured in a CAF competition. They were eliminated in that year’s group stage of the CAF Champions League after finishing third among Ghana’s Heart of Oaks, Al-Ahly of Egypt and ASC Jeanne d’Arc of Senegal.
Four years later, Lobi Stars were knocked out at the second round of CAF Confederation Cup, just as they did in 2006 and even performed worse in 2012 with a first round elimination.
Founded in 2011, UMS de Loum won their first Cameroon Cup three years ago by beating former CAF Champions League winners Coton Sport, three-time African Cup of Champions Clubs title holders Canon Sportif de Yaoundé and Union Doula on their way to the final where they defeated Panthère du Ndé 2–0.
The Cameroonian side lost in the preliminary round of CAF Champions League last year and the first round of the Confederation Cup in 2016.
Runners-up behind Coton Sport in the Cameroon top flight concluded last July, UMS de Loum have not had a competitive match since then, while Lobi Stars featured in the Nigerian SuperCup match as recent as last Tuesday beating Federation Cup champions Rangers 1-0 at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba.
In that SuperCup fixture, Lobi Stars tried out new players including Lobi handed starts to new signings Sikiru Alimi (ex-Sunshine Stars), Alex Aghahowa (formerly El-Kanemi Warriors), Chile Azu (from Go Round FC) and Samuel Mathias (El-Kanemi Warriors).
AS Vita Club of DR Congo await the winners of Lobi Stars/UMS de Loum pair in the first round.
For Rangers, they were in continental competition as recent as last year but could not go beyond the first round of the CAF Champions League. The Flying Antelopes managed to beat Algeria’s JS Saoura on away goal rule at the preliminary stage but lost 3-5 aggregate to Zamalek of Egypt in the next round.
Relegated to the Confederation Cup thereafter, Rangers still couldn’t go far as Zambia’s ZESCO United triumphed 5-2 aggregate in the playoff round.
Rangers only hurrah in Africa was winning the CAF Cup Winners Cup in 1977. Ten appearances in the CAF Champions League (including in its precursor, the African Cup of Champions Clubs), four in the Confederation Cup and two in the CAF Cup have seen Rangers gone only as far as the final in 1975 in the African Cup of Champions Clubs.
In the off-season, Rangers acquired new players including Michael Uchebo, who was in the Super Eagles squad to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. He re-joined the club after a few years unattached.
Gbenga Ogunbote, a veteran Nigerian coach, lead Rangers who are fired up to win. “We don’t have any option but to win on Wednesday against Defence FC,” goalkeeper Femi Thomas agrees.
The Ethiopian club featured in last year’s CAF Confederation Cup but got knocked out at the preliminary round. Before then, they had travelled as far as the quarterfinals of the 1976 CAF Cup Winners’ Cup. They also got eliminated at the first round in the 1977 edition of the African Cup of Champions Clubs and CAF Confederation Cup in 2007.
Also known as Mekelakeya, Defence Force’s last competitive match was on November 4 when they beat Debub Police 2-1 away in the first match of the 2018/19 Ethiopian Premier League season.
Whoever win between Rangers and their Ethiopian opposition will face either Algeria’s USM Bel Abbès or LISCR (Liberia) in the first round.
Tuesday’s fixtures…
2018/19 CAF Champions League (Preliminary round first leg)
- Volcan Club (Comoros Islands) v African StarsFC (Namibia) (1pm)
- Stade Centrafricaine (Central Africa Republic) v Stade Malien (Mali) (3pm),
- ASAS Djibouti Télécom (Djibouti) v Jimma Aba Jifar (Ethiopia) (4pm)
- ASF Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) v Coton Sport (Cameroon) (4.30 pm)
- AS SONIDEP (Niger Republic) v ZESCO United(Zambia) (4:30pm)
- CS Constantine (Algeria) v GAMTEL (Gambia) (5pm)
- Al-Nasr (Libya) v Al-Hilal Juba (South Sudan) (5pm)
- ASC Diaraf (Senegal) v US Koroki (Togo) (6pm)
- Township Rollers (Botswana) v BantuFC (Lesotho) (6:30pm)
- JS Saoura (Algeria) v SC Gagnoa (Côte d’Ivoire) (7pm)
- Ittihad Tanger (Morocco) v Elect-Sport (Chad) (8pm)
- Al-Hilal (Sudan) v JKUSC (Zanzibar) (8pm)
2018/19 CAF Confederation Cup (Preliminary round first leg)
- Mtibwa Sugar (Tanzania) v Northern Dynamo FC (Seychelles) (2pm)
- Kariobangi Sharks (Kenya) v Arta Solar 7 (Djibouti) (2pm)
- USM Bel Abbès (Algeria) v LISCR (Liberia) (3:30pm)
- FC San Pédro (Côte d’Ivoire) v Armed Forces FC (Gambia) (5pm)
- Nouakchott King’s (Mauritania) v Stade d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) (6pm)
- Hassania Agadir (Morocco) v AS GNN (Niger Republic) (6pm)
- NA Hussein Dey (Algeria) v Diables Noirs (Congo Republic) (6pm)
- Salitas FC (Burkina Faso) v WakiryaAC (Guinea) (7pm)
- Petro de Luanda (Angola) v Orapa United (Botswana)
- Green Eagles (Zambia) v Young Buffaloes (eSwatini)
- Ashanti Kotoko SC (Ghana) v Eding Sport (Cameroon) (Ashanti Kotoko SC gain walkover)
Wednesday’s fixtures…
2018/19 CAF Champions League (Preliminary round first leg)
- UMS de Loum(Cameroon) v Lobi Stars (Nigeria) (3:30pm)
- CNaPS Sport (Madagascar) v FC Platinum (Zimbabwe) (12:30pm)
- Le Messager Ngozi (Burundi) v Ismaily (Egypt) (2pm)
- UD Songo (Mozambique) v Nkana(Zambia) (2pm)
- Simba (Tanzania) v Mbabane Swallows (eSwatini) (2pm)
- APR FC (Rwanda) v Club Africain (Tunisia) (2:30pm)
- Leones Vegetarianos (Equatorial Guinea) v Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) (3pm)
- 1º de Agosto (Angola) v AS Otôho(Congo Republic) (4pm)
- Gor Mahia (Kenya) v Nyasa Big Bullets (Malawi)(5pm)
- ASEC Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire) v AS Mangasport (Gabon) (5pm)
- FC Nouadhibou (Mauritania) v Al-Ahly Benghazi (Libya) (6pm)
- Horoya (Guinea) v Barrack Young Controllers (Liberia) (6pm)
- Orlando Pirates (South Africa) v Light Stars FC (Seychelles) (6.30pm)
- Al-Merrikh (Sudan) v Vipers (Uganda) (both 6:30pm)
2018/19 CAF Confederation Cup (Preliminary round first leg)
- Enugu Rangers (Nigeria) v Defence Force SC (Ethiopia) (4pm)
- Miracle Club (Comoros Islands) v Al-Ittihad (Libya) (1pm)
- Free State Stars (South Africa) v Mukura Victory Sports (Rwanda) (2pm)
- Green Buffaloes (Zambia) v Al-Merreikh Juba FC (South Sudan) (2pm)
- New Star FC (Cameroon) v Vital’O FC (Burundi) (3pm)
- AS CotonTchad (Chad) v Gomido FC (Togo) (3.30pm)
- DC Motema Pembe (DR Congo) v Anges de Fatima (Central Africa Republic) (3.30pm)
- Cercle Mbéri Sportif (Gabon) v Silver StrikersFC (Malawi) (3:30pm)
- Génération Foot (Senegal) v Djoliba (Mali) (5:30pm)
- Al-Ahly Shendi (Sudan) v AS Nyuki (DR Congo) (6pm)
- Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa) v Zimamoto FC (Zanzibar) (6:30pm)
- ASSM Elgeco Plus (Madagascar) v Deportivo Unidad (Equatorial Guinea) (6.30pm)
Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD had targeted their Group F opener as their best chance to get a win on the board at the Club World Cup, with Brazil’s Fluminense and German side Borussia Dortmund expected to advance from Group F.
South Africa’s Sundowns took all three points with a 1-0 win over the South Koreans and went top of the group after Fluminense drew 0-0 with Dortmund.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
African and Asian teams are not expected to make much of an impact at the new-look 32-team Club World Cup so points are like gold dust for the likes of the Sundowns and Ulsan.
KEY QUOTES
Miguel Cardoso, Mamelodi Sundowns coach: “We prepared tactically and strategically very well, and then we found a commitment between everybody. I think it was clear we made a very wonderful first half. It was important that we could keep the pace and not stray from the game plan in the second half, so that we could score a second goal that for little details or little centimetres, we could not do.”
Kim Pan-gon, Ulsan HD head coach: “We had targeted this game to win because we understand the other two teams in the group, Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund, are favourites. Our players gave their best efforts in this game and we’re very proud of their efforts. Now we need to recover quickly for the next game.”
-Reuters
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With a year until Mexico makes history as the first three-time World Cup host, the dream of a spectacular showcase is colliding with the practical challenges of modernising the iconic Azteca Stadium for global soccer’s premier event.
Beneath the imposing silhouette of Mexico’s football cathedral – where Pele dazzled with Brazil in 1970 and Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ propelled Argentina to glory in 1986 – construction crews tackle the formidable task of bringing one of the sport’s most storied venues into the 21st century.
The stakes are magnified as the ‘Santa Ursula colossus’ will host the tournament’s opening match, a global spectacle that will focus the world’s attention on Mexico from day one.
Renovations will expand the stadium’s capacity from 87,000 to 90,000, with upgrades centred on meeting FIFA standards through new changing rooms, enhanced hospitality zones, revamped VIP areas and additional seating in spaces previously occupied by boxes and lounges.
While government officials and football administrators envisioned the project as a symbol of national pride, the renovation process has eroded trust between developers, local residents and other stakeholders.
Stadium administrators announced in February that they had secured a 2.1 billion peso ($110.19 million) credit line from local financial group Banorte – along with a controversial new name: Estadio Banorte.
FIFA regulations mean the stadium will be referred to as “Estadio Ciudad de Mexico” during the World Cup, yet the rebranding has sparked a fierce backlash from some fans, who view it as sacrificing football heritage for commercial interests.
HARSH REALITY
The backlash over the stadium’s new name represents only one facet of the mounting tensions. Box and suite holders – some with relationships spanning decades – have threatened legal action after FIFA announced it would commandeer their seats during the tournament, overriding established contracts.
One member of the Mexican Association of Box Holders has already filed a legal challenge to defend access rights.
Beyond the stadium walls, frustration runs equally deep. Residents of Santa Ursula and surrounding neighbourhoods fear that promised infrastructure improvements like pedestrian bridges and transit lines will fail to address fundamental issues including inadequate lighting, water shortages and persistent traffic congestion.
“We’re not the stadium’s backyard,” one local resident told Expansion Politica. “But we’re always treated that way.”
By contrast, Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico’s other two host cities, face fewer obstacles.
Guadalajara’s 48,000-seat stadium, opened in 2010, has already hosted major events including the 2011 Pan American Games, while Monterrey’s 53,500-capacity venue, inaugurated in 2015, needs only minor upgrades – primarily new turf and a pitch ventilation system.
“We’ll install a system to ventilate and oxygenate the pitch before replacing the grass,” said Alejandro Hutt, Monterrey’s Host City Manager. “That will be an important legacy from the World Cup and beyond.”
As construction continues, Javier Aguirre’s Mexico squad are building towards a crucial summer, with a Gold Cup title defence ahead and friendly matches against Turkey this week, followed by Japan and South Korea in September.
After failing to advance beyond the group stage at Qatar 2022 – their worst World Cup performance since 1978 – Mexican fans crave more than just a well organised tournament. They want to see Mexico break the ‘fifth-game‘ curse and reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1986, the last time they were World Cup hosts.
-Reuters
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All contenders are now known for this year’s President Federation Cup grand finale, following Saturday’s elimination of Edo Queens and Ibom Angels in the women’s semi-finals.
Multiple-winners Rivers Angels saw off the stiff challenge of Ibom Angels of Uyo 1-0 in Aba, while Nasarawa Amazons bumped Edo Queens 2-0 in Ayingba.
Cup holders Rivers Angels, who have won the competition nine times, will have their hands full against 2005 and 2019 champions Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia.
In the men’s competition, Abakaliki FC of Ebonyi are getting set to tackle Kwara United FC in the final.
Results of Semi Finals (Women)
- Rivers Angels (Rivers) 1-0 Ibom Angels (Akwa Ibom)
- Edo Queens (Edo) 0-2 Nasarawa Amazons (Nasarawa)
Results of Semi-Finals (Men)
- Abakaliki FC (Ebonyi) 0-0 Ikorodu City (Lagos) – Abakaliki FC win 5-4 on penalties
- Kwara United (Kwara) 1-0 Rangers Int’l (Enugu)
WOMEN’S FINAL
- Rivers Angels vs Nasarawa Amazons
MEN’S FINAL
- Abakaliki FC VS Kwara United
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