CAF Confederation Cup
Paul Bassey lauds Gov. Udom on Confederation Cup final’s successful hosting
Three weeks after the successful hosting of the CAF Confederation Cup Final by Akwa Ibom State, the General coordinator of the Local Organizing Committee Elder Paul Bassey has lauded Governor Emmanuel Udom for a “near flawless” hosting.
Speaking in Ilorin in an interactive session with Sports journalists, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Udom on Sports said for him the most challenging part of the assignment was the Security and safety of the various visitors that trooped into Nigeria for the continental final.
Two days before the final, we witnessed the arrival of the 7 man VAR group from Switzerland and I said to myself “…God, have mercy.
After that came the CAF team, most of them “whites,” the Moroccan delegation, the CAF guests and VIPs. That they all came in and left safely without any incident whatsoever, makes me salute Governor Emmanuel for superintending over one of the safest, if not the safest State in Nigeria.
“In the course of taking a hosting decision security concerns were raised, yet the Amaju Pinnick led NFF convinced CAF that Akwa Ibom was safe, peaceful and hospitable and this was manifested to the letter through a robust security architecture that left nothing to chance. Even spectators that turned out in great number, going back home by midnight had nothing to fear.”
Elder Bassey also gave kudos to the Chairman of the LOC, and Commissioner for Youth and Sports Sir Monday Ebong Uko who oversaw an action plan that made Akwa Ibom, nay Nigeria proud as successful host of the continental show piece.
“Despite the hosting rumours, we were officially informed of the success of our bid just ten days to the final. This sounds impossible, yet the LOC Chairman believed we could do it and galvanized all into action, including his colleagues in the Ministries of Health, Information and Strategy and Special Duties.
“Looking back, this can be considered one of the greatest challenges of my sports career, that is why we are grateful to God, His Excellency and the good people of Akwa Ibom State that we made the NFF and Nigeria proud for believing in us.
“The media was vociferous, Akwa Ibomites turned out in their thousands despite the late kick off time of 8:00p.m, 25,000 strong to support two neutral teams.
“We harnessed all human and material resources available to us, Ibom Air, excellent accommodation and internal transportation facilities, world class sports infrastructure… to deliver a well-organized and applauded final, advantage Nigeria.
“Overtime, the government of Akwa Ibom State has demonstrated capacity and sagacity in the delivery of key expectations advantage the people.
“This was amplified when His Excellency decided to afford Nigerians the opportunity of watching the match free of any charge” Elder Bassey said.
It will be recalled that Nigeria, through Akwa Ibom State was saddled with the responsibility of hosting the CAF Confederation Cup Final between Orlando Pirates of South Africa and RS Berkane of Morocco on Friday, May 20 2022 in Uyo.
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.
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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.
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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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