CAF Champions League
DESPITE CAF RULING ON CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REPLAY, WAC TAKES CAF TO CAS
Moroccan club, Wydad Athletic Club (WAC) has announced that it will take the case of the arbitrary refereeing mistakes-which occurred during the second leg of the final of Africa’s Champions League, resulting in a win for Tunisian rival Esperance de Tunis (EST)- to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
According to Morocco World News, WAC’s protest over the absence of a Video Assistant Referee and the poor referee performances is supported by the Champions League regulations.
Gambian referee, Gassama Bakary, refused an alleged legitimate goal for Wydad Casablanca, angering Moroccan football fans and observers, who argued that the decision of the referee was unjust.
When Wydad players put pressure on the refereeing staff to use the VAR, the referees said that the video footage was unavailable due to technical issues.
The players subsequently refused to resume the game until the VAR issue has been fixed. WAC players were given no concrete reason why the VAR was not functional in such an important game.
According to Morocco World News, Paragraph 15 of Article 2 of the CAF regulations stipulates that “If it is established that the absence of the designated referees was the fault of the host association, the host team shall be declared the loser by 2 to zero and shall be eliminated from the competition, regardless of the result obtained on the field.”
The Moroccan club, that was playing at the Tunisian team’s home ground at Rades, may be declared winner as stipulated by the CAF regulations.
The regulations state that “if the referee is forced to stop the match before the end of the regular time because of pitch invasion or aggression against the visiting team, the host team shall be considered the loser and shall be eliminated from the competition.”
Despite CAF regulations being in favour of the Moroccan team, CAF decided instead to re-play the game causing backlash from both EST and WAC supporters.
CAF president, Ahmad, has said that the president of EST threatened him during the game.
Naciri went on to add that the CAF officials attempted to convince him to resume play in exchange for granting them next year’s title.
“All of them, without exception, were asking us to continue the game and next year’s title would be yours,” revealed Naciri in an interview with Medi1TV.
Naciri will now seek justice for his club by requesting to be declared winners without re-playing the 2nd leg of the African Champions League final in South Africa.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will conduct the quarter-final draws for the 2025/26 editions of its two flagship interclub competitions — the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup — on Tuesday, 17 February 2026, at the headquarters of the Egyptian Football Association in Cairo.
The CAF Confederation Cup quarter-final draw is scheduled to begin at 13:00 Cairo time (11:00 GMT), followed by the CAF Champions League quarter-final draw at 14:00 Cairo time (12:00 GMT).
The ceremonies will be broadcast live on CAF’s official YouTube platform, CAF TV, allowing fans across the continent and beyond to follow proceedings in real time.
Road to the Finals Takes Shape
The draws will determine not only the quarter-final pairings but also the pathway to the finals in both competitions, effectively mapping out the remaining knockout journey for Africa’s elite clubs.
With the group stages concluded, the quarter-finals mark the beginning of direct elimination football — a phase traditionally defined by tactical discipline, squad depth and mental resilience. Clubs will be keenly watching the draw to gauge potential heavyweight clashes or favourable routes to the semi-finals.
In the Champions League, former title holders and emerging contenders alike will be hoping to avoid early confrontations against continental heavyweights. Similarly, in the Confederation Cup, where competitive balance has grown in recent seasons, the draw could produce intriguing North-South or West-East showdowns.
Strategic Importance for Clubs
Beyond sporting prestige, progression to the latter stages of CAF competitions carries significant financial incentives, enhanced continental ranking points and increased global visibility. With African club football enjoying expanded broadcast reach and commercial partnerships, success in these tournaments has become both a sporting and economic objective.
Hosting the draws at the Egyptian FA headquarters in Cairo reinforces the city’s status as a nerve centre of African football administration, as clubs await clarity on their next assignments in what promises to be a decisive knockout phase of the 2025/26 campaign.
All eyes will now turn to Cairo as Africa’s road to continental glory becomes clearer.
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Moroccan side RS Berkane delivered a commanding 3–0 victory over Rivers United FC to book their place in the knockout stages of the competition.
Berkane imposed themselves early and broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when Youssef Mehri fired into the bottom corner following a swift attacking move.
The hosts doubled their lead seven minutes later as Paul Valère Bassène finished clinically after being played through by Mounir Chouiar, leaving Rivers United with a mountain to climb before halftime.
The contest was effectively settled eight minutes into the second half. Bassène grabbed his second of the night in the 53rd minute, converting from close range after a corner to put the result beyond doubt.
Berkane maintained control for the remainder of the match, limiting Rivers United to speculative efforts and half-chances before comfortably seeing out the encounter.
With the results, Pyramids FC finish top of Group A, while RS Berkane join them in the knockout phase as runners-up, bringing the group stage to a decisive conclusion.
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Reigning CAF Champions League holders Pyramids FC signed off their group-stage campaign in style with a 3–1 victory over Power Dynamos FC on Matchday 6 to secure top spot in Group A.
The Egyptian side made a bright start and went ahead in the 16th minute when Mostafa Ziko rose highest to head home from a corner, underlining their early dominance.
Power Dynamos responded almost immediately. Frederick Mulambia restored parity a minute later, finishing from close range after a well-worked cross to briefly unsettle the hosts.
However, Pyramids regained control midway through the first half. In the 33rd minute, Youssef Obama reacted quickest inside the penalty area to restore the lead, sending the defending champions into the break 2–1 ahead.
The decisive moment came in the 59th minute when Ewerton unleashed a superb right-footed strike from outside the box that nestled into the bottom corner, extending the advantage to 3–1.
Despite late substitutions and sporadic pressure from the visitors, Pyramids managed proceedings comfortably to claim all three points and finish the group stage at the summit.
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