Morocco’s Renaissance Berkane beat Cairo giants Zamalek 2-1 in the African Confederation Cup final, first leg at the Municipal Stadium on Sunday ahead of the return in Egypt a week from now.

The hosts had a dream start after being awarded a 13th minute penalty, converted by skipper Issoufou Dayo, and then grabbed a second goal in the 32nd when Adil Tahif squeezed in a header at the back post catching out goalkeeper Mohamed Awad.

But Zamalek, who won the Confederation Cup five years ago when they beat Berkane on penalties in the final, netted a potentially vital away goal two minutes into the second half as Seifeddine Jaziri powered home a header from Ahmed Zizo’s cross.

Berkane came close to restoring a two-goal lead when Youssef Mehri’s shot skimmed the bar in the 62nd minute.

The return leg in Cairo next Sunday will see Berkane, winners in 2020 and 2022, seeking a third success in the continent’s secondary club competition.

The Moroccan club qualified for the final after a disputed semi-final against holders USM Alger.

Neither leg of the tie was played during a diplomatic spat over Berkane displaying a map of Morocco on their shirts featuring the disputed annexed territory of Western Sahara that Algeria does not recognise.

Berkane had their kit confiscated by Algerian customs when they travelled for the first leg last month and they refused to play. They were awarded a 3-0 victory by the Confederation of African Football’s disciplinary committee.

USM Alger then travelled to Morocco for the return leg but refused to leave their changing rooms at kick off time and were disqualified. They have taken the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport but were unable to force a halt to Sunday’s final, first leg.

-Reuters

The first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup 2023/24 Final will kick-off in Berkane, Morocco, between Morocco’s RS Berkane FC and Zamalek SC of Egypt on Sunday, 12 May 2024.

The match, a repeat of the 2019 Final between the two Clubs, will kick-off at 20h00 Local Time (19h00 GMT).

This season marks the 21st edition of the competition and with every season, exciting African club football memories continue to be engraved in the rich history books of African football – with this edition set to continue the legacy.

The double legged tie will then conclude a week later at the Cairo International Stadium when Zamalek plays host to the second leg on Sunday, 19 May at 19h00 Local Time (17h00 GMT).

Both RS Berkane and Zamalek raised their hands and stamped their authority as the tournament’s firm favourites after finishing top of their respective groups without a single loss enroute to the final.

While the Moroccans have enjoyed more CAF Confederation Cup success than their Egyptian counterparts, having won the title twice and losing out once in the final, Zamalek have proven cup pedigree and will certainly aim at repeating their 2019 success over the Moroccans to halt what could potentially be a five-year continental trophy drought for the White Knights.

Sunday’s start to the double-legged final is set to be broadcast live and in high-definition to the global audience, with CAF pulling out all the stops in ensuring that African football’s global audience experiences both finals in the best broadcast technology.

In addition to the live broadcast across the globe, fans are also invited to be a part of the online conversation and enjoy exclusive behind the scenes content across CAF’s digital platforms using CAF Confederation Cup.

Confederation Cup Final 

Sunday, 12 May 2024

19h00 GMT | RS Berkane vs Zamalek SC

Sunday, 19 May 2024 

17h00 GMT | Zamalek SC vs RS Berkane

-CAF

Algeria’s hope of stalling the final matches of the CAF Confederation Cup has collapsed. This is sequel to the rejection of accelerated hearing put up by the Algeria football  federation.

The final matches pitch RS Berkane against Zamalek of Egypt. The second leg of the final match will be held in Cairo on May 19. By that time, the appeal filed by Algeria would not have been heard.

On April 26, the CAS rejected the urgent request from the the Algerian federation to halt the final matches until their appeal has been heard.

“This request was rejected ex parte by the president of the CAS Appeals Chamber,” explains the body in a press release published last Thursday, May 2.