CAF Confederation Cup
Akwa Ibom promise hitch-free and fun-filled Confederation Cup final experience
Organisers are applying final touches in some areas in Uyo ahead of Friday’s long-awaited final of Africa’s second-biggest club competition, the CAF Confederation Cup.
The showdown between South Africa’s Orlando Pirates and Morocco’s RS Berkane will be played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in the Akwa Ibom state capital, in Nigeria and will kick-off at 20h00 local time (19h00 GMT).
Uyo and Godswill Akpabio Stadium will be the first Nigerian city and stadium to host either the final of the Confederations Cup or the Champions League since Heartland hosted the latter in 2009.
Before Uyo 2022, Nigeria previously through Lagos hosted the 1975 and 1984 CAF Champions League finals, followed by Ibadan in 1988 and 1996 before Aba in 2003 and 2004, then recently Owerri in 2009 after Port Harcourt hosted the CAF Confederation Cup final in 2005.
City Presentation and Preparation
It is the first intercontinental major Cup final to be hosted in Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital and the home of Professional Football League side Akwa United.
Following the confirmation of Uyo by CAF, the locals could not hide their joy ahead of the highly anticipated Confederation Cup final, including General Coordinator of the LOC, Paul Bassey.
“Aƙwa Ibom is glad to represent Nigeria in this regard,” Bassey, who doubles as Akwa United chairman told CAFOnline.com.
“This is a continental assignment and Akwa Ibom had to do it on behalf of Nigeria and this stadium apart from being one of the best in Africa, it’s also the best in the country.
“When CAF came to Uyo, they saw that it was fit enough to host, and it’s not only about the stadium, the Ibom Specialist Hospital is world class, then, of course, the hotels we have 5 stars. “Also the airport facility among others and then the experience because we have hosted big games before, for Uyo people, this is huge and we have that culture of coming out in a mass.”
Stadium and security
Launched in 2014, the Godswill Akpabio Stadium is a 30000-capacity seater modelled after the Allianz Arena in Germany and has served as the home to the Nigerian Super Eagles.
It is arguably the most beautiful stadium in Nigeria situated in Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Boulevard, Uyo and notably, referred to as The Nest of Champions. The ultra-modern sports complex boasts bulletproof VIP and VVIP areas, natural grass, high-tech floodlights, a training pitch, a helipad, and collapsible seats. For security, It has 30 emergency exit points, closed-circuit security cameras, stand by firefighting equipment and metal detectors.
-Cafonline
CAF Confederation Cup
CAF adjudges Morocco’s Youssef Mehri’s goal as the fastest in football history
Moroccan club, Renaissance de Berkane, beat their Algerian counterparts, CS Constantine, 4-0 in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals at the weekend.
The game got off to a dream start for the Moroccan club as it took Youssef Mehri less than a minute to open the scoring in the big win against the Algerians.
Officially, the goal is recorded to have been scored after 13 seconds.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), CAF remarks: “Youssef Mehri goes straight into the history books. The RS Berkane striker scores the fastest goal ever scored in the CAF Cup.”
A deeper search by Sports Village Square indicates that a Nigerian player, Paul Onuachu, had previously scored a faster goal, but not in a CAF Cup duel.
The basketball player-like footballer scored his first international goal in a 1-0 defeat of Egypt on 26 March 2019.
The goal inflicted Nigeria’s first defeat on Egypt in 29 years. But more significant was the timing of the goal. Onuachu, within eight seconds of kick-off, undoubtedly entered the record books as the second fastest goal in international football records after that of Germany’s Lukas Podolsk, who scored after six seconds in a friendly against Ecuador in 2013.
Fans had hardly settled down at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba for the Nigeria versus Egypt match when Onuachu released a thunderous shot that turned out to be the match’s decider.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
The Renaissance Sportive de Berkane delegation will travel to Algeria this Friday to face CS Constantine in the CAF Cup. Tension may be building up for the potentially explosive confrontation that could have a build-up from last year’s fixtures of the Moroccan club and another Algerian outfit, USM Algiers, in the CAF Confederation Cup.
A Moroccan news outlet, Sport.le360, reports that a Tunisian airline will operate the direct flight between Oujda-Angad Airport, which is located about 12 kilometres north of Oujda and about 600 kilometres northeast of Casablanca, near the Algerian border and Constantine Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport.
Last year, political differences between Morocco and Algeria scuttled similar semi-final clashes between clubs of both countries.
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Follow the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Financial rainfall awaits Nigeria’s Flamingos for every goal scored in Algeria
- OBITUARY1 week ago
NFF mourns the demise of former FIFA referee, Bosede Momoh
- U-20 FOOTBALL1 week ago
Nigeria begin CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title chase with Tunisian clash
- Nigerian Football6 days ago
Former WAFU President, Ogufere mourns Christian Chukwu
- Nigerian Football1 week ago
Remo Stars maintain ‘7Up’ lead over Rivers United
- feature1 week ago
Ghana’s Cardinal, Appiah Turkson, listed as a possible Pope
- Badminton6 days ago
It’s Nigeria again as Eniola Bolaji wins the 2024 Africa Women in Badminton Award
- CAF Champions League5 days ago
Al Ahly, Sundowns brace for Cairo showdown with final spot on the line