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