CAF Confederation Cup

NIGERIA’S ENUGU RANGERS AMONG LEADING AFRICAN CLUBS LONG FOR CAF TITLE

Published

6 years ago

January 10, 2019

A number of popular African clubs who have not won a continental competition for a long time will be in CAF Confederation Cup play-offs first-leg action this weekend, AFP reports.

It is 42 years since Nigerians Enugu Rangers won the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup and Ghanaians Asante Kotoko lifted the African Cup of Champions Clubs trophy 36 years ago.

Kenyans Gor Mahia and South Africans Kaizer Chiefs raised the African Cup Winners Cup 32 and 18 years ago respectively.

Egyptians Zamalek can boast of nine CAF titles, but their last success was in 2003 when they won the CAF Super Cup.

Asante Kotoko
Kotoko, who have the unwanted CAF record of losing seven of nine finals, struggled to get past Kenyans Kariobangi Sharks after receiving a preliminary round walkover. They now face the 2008 Champions League runners-up, Cameroonians Coton Sport, with the first leg in Yaounde. Coton are likely to prove stronger opponents than Sharks and Kotoko will do well to leave central Africa level on aggregate.

Enugu Rangers
The draw favoured Rangers as they were paired with Lesotho outfit Bantu FC, one of the weakest of the 30 title contenders playing this weekend. Bantu were demoted from the Champions League to the Confederation Cup without winning any of their four matches and it is hard to imagine them shocking the Nigerians, at home or away.

In Godwin Aguda and Bright Silas, Enugu have attackers who scored three goals each to help eliminate Ethiopians Defence Force and Algerians USM Bel Abbes in qualifiers.

Gor Mahia
The Nairobi club have been steadily improving in Africa, becoming the first Kenyan qualifiers for the Confederation Cup group stage last year. Gor almost achieved an even greater success in the current Champions League, but conceded a late goal away to Nigerians Lobi Stars and missed out on a group place. They host Cameroonians New Star, whose five-goal striker Junior Ngongang is the leading scorer in this Confederation Cup.

Chiefs
Chiefs, who have won 53 domestic trophies since being formed 49 years ago but only one in Africa, will lack injured goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune away to Zambians Zesco United. His absence was sorely felt last weekend with a blunder by Namibian stand-in Virgil Vries gifting a undeserved victory to Mamelodi Sundowns in a key league match.

Zesco sharpshooter Lazarous Kambole, whose five-minute hat-trick last season was the fastest in a CAF club match, poses a major threat to the Soweto outfit.

Zamalek
After several seasons in the doldrums and being overshadowed by arch rivals Al Ahly, the Cairo White Knights are leading the Egyptian title race under Swiss coach Christian Gross. They took this good form into Africa last month to slam seven goals past Chadians ASCOT in the home leg of a qualifier with Congolese Kabongo Kasongo bagging a brace. Away to Moroccans Ittihad Tanger this weekend, Zamalek will probably be satisfied to avoid defeat, then use home advantage to emerge overall winners.

CAF Confederation Cup

CAS upholds Algerian appeal in football shirt map dispute

Published

2 months ago

February 27, 2025

Kunle Solaja

The Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday ruled in favour of the Algerian football federation in a row over a map of Morocco on shirts worn by Renaissance Berkane in the 2024 CAF Confederation Cup.

Algerian club USM Alger were kicked out of last year’s competition after both legs of their semi-final against Berkane were cancelled because of a diplomatic dispute.

Neither match took place as USMA and the Algerian authorities objected to a map of Morocco on the Berkane shirts which included Western Sahara.

Algeria cut diplomatic ties with North African neighbours Morocco in 2021, partly over the Western Sahara issue.

The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco but claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which seeks the territory’s independence.

The Confederation of African Football awarded Berkane a 3-0 victory for both legs of the semi-final.

CAF at the time responded to an appeal by the Algerian FA by ruling in favour of Berkane, saying the club had been wearing the same jerseys since the start of the tournament.

But the Algerian FA took the case to sport’s highest court in Switzerland, which determined that the shirts in question were “contrary to CAF regulations, as they display a territorial map that is of a political nature.”

“The image of a map of Morocco including Western Sahara on the shirts of RS Berkane depicts a message, a demonstration or propaganda of a political nature as it represents the assertion of a territorial dispute that is contested and still unresolved as of today,” CAS said in a statement.

“By the laws of the game of the International Football Association Board, it is prohibited to convey any content of a political nature on all equipment, including shirts.”

CAS added that the initial decision by CAF to “maintain the approval of the shirts is annulled”, but the court said that it would have no effect on the results of the tournament.

Egypt’s Zamalek beat Berkane on away goals in the final.

-AFP

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CAF Confederation Cup

Morocco’s RS Berkane welcome CAS ruling in shirt dispute with Algeria’s USM

Published

2 months ago

February 27, 2025

Kunle Solaja

Moroccan club RS Berkane has welcomed a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirming its victory over Algeria’s USM Algiers in the semi-finals of the 2023/24 CAF Confederation Cup, even though CAS affirmed that the shirt in question should no longer be allowed by the Confederation of African Football, CAF.

CAS added that the initial decision by CAF to “maintain the approval of the shirts is annulled”, but the court said that it would have no effect on the results of the tournament.

In a statement on Wednesday, the RS Berkane said it had received the CAS decision, which rejected USM Algiers’ appeal to annul the results of both legs and impose sanctions on Berkane.

“The ruling upholds RS Berkane’s victory without any penalties, a decision that has been met with great satisfaction by our supporters,” the club said.

The CAS decision effectively ends the dispute, cementing Berkane’s place in the tournament’s final standings.

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CAF Confederation Cup

Algeria’s USMA lose two appeals against Morocco in CAS

Published

2 months ago

February 26, 2025

Kunle Solaja

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

The Court of Arbitration for Sports, CAS has rejected the two appeals filed by Algeria’s club, Union Sportive de la Médina d’Alger, known as USM Alger against Morocco’s Renaissance Sportive de Berkane.

This is the offshoot of a controversial CAF Confederation Cup semi-final duels last year.

Renaissance Sportive de Berkane advanced to the final match without having to kick the ball as CAF ruled that the Algerian club forfeited the two-legged matches.

Algeria had confiscated the shirts of the Moroccan side for having a map on the attire.

The map features the full land mass of Morocco, including the Western Sahara which is being disputed by Algeria’s allies, Sahrawi.

CAF approved the shirts from the onset of the season. The Moroccan team could not enter Algeria until the intervention of the CAF. Even, then, the Algerian did not allow the first leg match to hold on account of the shirts.

They later did not show up for the return leg, even though they arrived in Morocco, prompting CAF to also award the return leg to Renaissance Sportive de Berkane.

The Algerians lodged an appeal to CAS asking that the match forfeiture be upturned and matches replayed.

The Algerian Football Federation, FAF also asked for an end to the authorization of the Berkane jersey.

Both appeals were rejected. CAS ruled that the use of the controversial jersey was within the law.

TAS rejected USMA’s request and confirmed the result of the match.

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