CAF Confederation Cup
NPL club owners are united behind Rivers United in Confederation Cup chase
The Vice Chairman of the Club Owners Association of Nigeria, Alhaji Suleiman Umar is soliciting support for Rivers United, the country’s only representative on the continent in the CAF Confederation Cup to return to the Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium for their home games.
This he said should be done in earnest so that they can enjoy the support of their fans in Rivers state.
Alhaji Umar who was speaking on behalf of the association was specific about the kind of support the Port Harcourt based team needs to make Nigeria proud.
“The most consistent football club from Nigeria on the continent in the last three seasons has been Rivers United and it’s not a surprise that they’re the only team still flying Nigeria’s flag on the continent.
“What they need right now is for Nigeria to play the politics at CAF’s level so that they can return to Port Harcourt to play their remaining home games at the Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium. We’ve seen some of the stadiums they’ve played their away games in Africa that are not anywhere near what you’ve in Port Harcourt”, explained the proprietor of Doma United of Gombe state.
Meanwhile, speaking in the same vein after his clubs 2-1 loss in Ghana on Sunday, the General Manager of Rivers United, Chief Okey Kpalukwu believes that Nigeria stands a chance of wining the CAF Confederation Cup if only his team is allowed to play at home in Port Harcourt.
“My pitch at the Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium in Port Harcourt is better than the several pitches that I have played in on the continent, including that of Sunday’s game in Kumasi, Ghana, yet CAF approved it for the club because they have their people upstairs protecting their interests in CAF.
“There’s no place like one’s home ground, we want Nigerians, including our fans in Port Harcourt to come out enmasse and be saved the stress of traveling outside of Rivers state to come and support us. We will once again appeal through the appropriate channel, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to interface with CAF to allow us play in Port Harcourt because our stadium meets all their requirements”, stated the NPFL Club Owners chairman.
Rivers United are in the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup alongside Club Africain of Tunisia, Dreams Fc of Ghana and Academica do Lobito of Angola in group C.
With a win and a defeat in two games played so far, The Pride of Rivers awaits Club Africain this Sunday at the Godswill Akpabio stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state.
After Nigeria and Benin have been drawn together together in the 2026 World Cup qualifying as well as that of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, another CAF draw has pitched the two teams together.
El-Kanemi will face Dadje of Benin Republic in the opening round of the CAF Confederation Cup. Nigeria’s second team, Enyimba FC are exempted from the first round.
The eight time Nigerian champions will face the winner of Hafia versus Rahimo of Burkina Faso.
CAF Confederation Cup
Enyimba exempted from Preliminary round as El-Kanemi fall in Pot 1 of Confederation Cup draw
Enyimba FC have drawn bye in the preliminary stage of the CAF Confederation Cup which draw will hold in Cairo on Thursday. The Nigerian team is among the 12 highest ranked teams in the competition.
Nigeria’s other representative are in Pot 1 along with 12 other clubs. The CAF Confederation Cup have 52 clubs representing 41 countries.
After the 12 exempted clubs, the remaining 40 clubs shall play in the preliminary round which consist of three ranked clubs and 37 non-ranked clubs according to the official clubs ranking.
Three pots of the 37 non-ranked teams are created considering their geographical proximity. The exempted teams and the ranked teams are distributed geographically.
CAF Confederation Cup
EXCLUSIVE! Abia Warriors’ Federation Cup loss saves Enyimba from CAF Confederation Cup disqualification
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Had Abia Warriors won the President Federation Cup in tie with El-Kanemi Warriors on Saturday, Enyimba FC would have been disqualified from the CAF Confederation Cup.
Entry for the registration for both Confederation Cup and the CAF Champions League close this Sunday.
Sources at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) informed Sports Village Square that the eligibility code for any of the inter-clubs competitions, does not allow two clubs owned fully or partially by the same person or body to feature in the same competition.
Both Enyimba FC and Abia Warriors are known to be owned and funded by the Abia State Government.
Had Abia Warriors prevailed over El-Kanemi, they too, like Enyimba would have qualified for the Confederation Cup.
Like in UEFA clubs competitions, CAF would not have allowed teams owned fully or partially by the same body to feature in the same competition. In this case, the CAF Confederation Cup.
It would be a different issue, if one of the two were to be competing in the Champions League and the other in the Confederation Cup.
This is stated in Section L.03 of Article 55 of the CAF Men’s Licensing Regulations (2022 edition).
In accordance with the Regulations of CAF Confederation Cup which give precedence to the national cup winner over the third placed teams of the league in case of countries that qualified to enter two teams, the sacrificial lamb would have been Enyimba, whose position would have been taken by the next available team, Shooting Stars who placed fourth on the log.
It was partly in accordance to the Section IV of the CAF Confederation Cup Regulations (ENGAGEMENTS) that enabled the fourth placed Kwara United engaged in the 2022 edition as the entry closed while the Nigerian national cup was still at the quarter-final stage.
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