Gunners’ tough test
CBZ Premiership kings Gunners will begin their maiden dance with the Champions League with a cagey preliminary round tie against Zanzibar upstarts Mafunzo FC, but an African giant — Al-Ahly — waits in ambush should they clear that hurdle.
Seasoned campaigners Dynamos have been rewarded for their fine showing in the tournament with a bye into the first round. BancABC Sup8r winners Lengthens, also set for their continental club football debut, will have a tricky assignment against AS Adema of Madagascar while CAPS United will face Swaziland’s Mbabane Highlanders in another preliminary round fixture of the second-tier club competition.
The Confederation of African Football released the fixtures for the 2010 editions of the Champions League and the Confederation Cup following their executive meeting presided over by the continental body’s president Issa Hayatou and his leadership in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday.
Caf want the two tournaments, bankrolled by international mobile communications company Orange, to begin on the weekend of February 12-14, a month after the African Cup of Nations which will be hosted in Angola.
As was the case with Monomotapa on their Champions League debut this year and Mwana Africa in the 2007 Confederation Cup, a Zimbabwean team will have to pass the test of a side from Zanzibar before they can dream of a first round place. Monoz played Miembeni this year while Mwana Africa faced Mundu SC.
Now Gunners — for whom attacking midfielder Ramson Zhuwawo was outstanding this season — must overcome little known Mafunzo FC in the preliminary round.
But the first round draw was not so kind for Moses Chunga and his men.
Should they advance past Mafunzo FC as is largely expected of them, Chunga’s men will face a much tougher task against five-time African champions Al Ahly of Egypt.
Al Ahly, winners of the 2008 Champions League following their triumph over Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon in last year’s final, received a bye into the first round.
Caf gave Champions League byes to six teams — new champions TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Edward Sadomba’s Al Hilal of Sudan, ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s Heartland, Al Ahly and Dynamos.
The six elite clubs that have been given a bye on the strength of their recent performances will only begin their Champions League campaign on the weekend of March 19-21.
Mazembe, Al Hilal, ASEC, Heartland, Al Ahly and DeMbare have either recently won the competition, reached the semi-finals or have been regular mini-league contenders.
But it is the tough first round draw against Egyptian giants Al Ahly, led by former African Footballer of the Year Mohamed Aboutrika, that should put into perspective the hurdles that Gunners would have to clear in their bid to impress on their maiden dance with the continent’s biggest club competition.
Despite being crowned the CBZ Premiership kings, Gunners, who won the domestic title in only their second year in the top-flight, would have to be content with having to start their continental campaign in the preliminary round as Caf only chose six of the continent’s best clubs for a bye into the first round.
The Zimbabwe kings are, however, widely expected to overcome Mafunzo FC if history and tradition where local teams have done well against those from Zanzibar is anything to go by.
In the first round, Dynamos have been drawn against the winner of the preliminary round tie between Simba SC of Tanzania and DRC’s FC St. Eloi Lupopo.
Interestingly for Dynamos, FC Lupopo are trying to lure four of the players who played a key role in ensuring DeMbare secured a place in the Champions League by finishing second behind Gunners.
Trusted gunman Cuthbert Malajila, talented midfielder Mtshumayeli Moyo, Carrington Gomba and goalkeeper Ephraim Mazarura are on a trial stint at FC Lupopo with the Congolese outfit reportedly eager to bolster their squad by registering the quartet.
CAPS United — playing in the Confederation Cup for the second successive year — will begin their campaign with a home leg in their Southern African derby clash against Phillip Mbofana’s Mbabane Highlanders of Swaziland.
Lloyd Chitembwe’s men will be hoping for a better campaign this time around after they only went as far as the first round this year before being eliminated by emerging Egyptian giants ENPPI. CAPS United also appear to have the best luck of the draw of all the four Zimbabwean club representatives.
Should they win against Mbabane Highlanders, Makepekepe will meet the winner of the other preliminary round tie pitting South Africa’s ABSA Cup winners Moroka Swallows and Mauritian perennial campaigners Pamplemousses.
Lengthens, who won their ticket to the Confederation Cup courtesy of their triumph over Shooting Stars in the BancABC Sup8r final, will begin their campaign with a home clash against AS Adema of Madagascar before travelling to the Indian Ocean island for the return leg on the weekend of February 26-28.
The Happy People, who have so far kept their cards close to their chests in terms of their preparations, are also eager to emulate Monomotapa and make an impression on their Confederation Cup debut.
Should they win, Lengthens will face Young Africans of Tanzania in the first round. Young Africans are one of 12 teams that have been exempted by Caf from the preliminary round.
The others are De Agosto of Angola, the Tunisian pair of Etoile Du Sahel and CS Sfaxien, Nigeria’s Enyimba, 2008 Champions League runners-up Cotonsport, Haras El Hodoud of Egypt, Gabon’s FC 105 and Zesco of Zambia.
Newly-crowned Confederation Cup winners Stade Malien of Mali have also been granted a bye into the first round as did ASV Club of DRC and Morocco’s ASFAR.
The final match of the Champions League will be played in November while the Confederation Cup final has been pencilled in for December 2010.
CBZ Premiership kings Gunners will begin their maiden dance with the Champions League with a cagey preliminary round tie against Zanzibar upstarts Mafunzo FC, but an African giant — Al-Ahly — waits in ambush should they clear that hurdle.
Seasoned campaigners Dynamos have been rewarded for their fine showing in the tournament with a bye into the first round. BancABC Sup8r winners Lengthens, also set for their continental club football debut, will have a tricky assignment against AS Adema of Madagascar while CAPS United will face Swaziland’s Mbabane Highlanders in another preliminary round fixture of the second-tier club competition.
The Confederation of African Football released the fixtures for the 2010 editions of the Champions League and the Confederation Cup following their executive meeting presided over by the continental body’s president Issa Hayatou and his leadership in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday.
Caf want the two tournaments, bankrolled by international mobile communications company Orange, to begin on the weekend of February 12-14, a month after the African Cup of Nations which will be hosted in Angola.
As was the case with Monomotapa on their Champions League debut this year and Mwana Africa in the 2007 Confederation Cup, a Zimbabwean team will have to pass the test of a side from Zanzibar before they can dream of a first round place. Monoz played Miembeni this year while Mwana Africa faced Mundu SC.
Now Gunners — for whom attacking midfielder Ramson Zhuwawo was outstanding this season — must overcome little known Mafunzo FC in the preliminary round.
But the first round draw was not so kind for Moses Chunga and his men.
Should they advance past Mafunzo FC as is largely expected of them, Chunga’s men will face a much tougher task against five-time African champions Al Ahly of Egypt.
Al Ahly, winners of the 2008 Champions League following their triumph over Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon in last year’s final, received a bye into the first round.
Caf gave Champions League byes to six teams — new champions TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Edward Sadomba’s Al Hilal of Sudan, ASEC Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s Heartland, Al Ahly and Dynamos.
The six elite clubs that have been given a bye on the strength of their recent performances will only begin their Champions League campaign on the weekend of March 19-21.
Mazembe, Al Hilal, ASEC, Heartland, Al Ahly and DeMbare have either recently won the competition, reached the semi-finals or have been regular mini-league contenders.
But it is the tough first round draw against Egyptian giants Al Ahly, led by former African Footballer of the Year Mohamed Aboutrika, that should put into perspective the hurdles that Gunners would have to clear in their bid to impress on their maiden dance with the continent’s biggest club competition.
Despite being crowned the CBZ Premiership kings, Gunners, who won the domestic title in only their second year in the top-flight, would have to be content with having to start their continental campaign in the preliminary round as Caf only chose six of the continent’s best clubs for a bye into the first round.
The Zimbabwe kings are, however, widely expected to overcome Mafunzo FC if history and tradition where local teams have done well against those from Zanzibar is anything to go by.
In the first round, Dynamos have been drawn against the winner of the preliminary round tie between Simba SC of Tanzania and DRC’s FC St. Eloi Lupopo.
Interestingly for Dynamos, FC Lupopo are trying to lure four of the players who played a key role in ensuring DeMbare secured a place in the Champions League by finishing second behind Gunners.
Trusted gunman Cuthbert Malajila, talented midfielder Mtshumayeli Moyo, Carrington Gomba and goalkeeper Ephraim Mazarura are on a trial stint at FC Lupopo with the Congolese outfit reportedly eager to bolster their squad by registering the quartet.
CAPS United — playing in the Confederation Cup for the second successive year — will begin their campaign with a home leg in their Southern African derby clash against Phillip Mbofana’s Mbabane Highlanders of Swaziland.
Lloyd Chitembwe’s men will be hoping for a better campaign this time around after they only went as far as the first round this year before being eliminated by emerging Egyptian giants ENPPI. CAPS United also appear to have the best luck of the draw of all the four Zimbabwean club representatives.
Should they win against Mbabane Highlanders, Makepekepe will meet the winner of the other preliminary round tie pitting South Africa’s ABSA Cup winners Moroka Swallows and Mauritian perennial campaigners Pamplemousses.
Lengthens, who won their ticket to the Confederation Cup courtesy of their triumph over Shooting Stars in the BancABC Sup8r final, will begin their campaign with a home clash against AS Adema of Madagascar before travelling to the Indian Ocean island for the return leg on the weekend of February 26-28.
The Happy People, who have so far kept their cards close to their chests in terms of their preparations, are also eager to emulate Monomotapa and make an impression on their Confederation Cup debut.
Should they win, Lengthens will face Young Africans of Tanzania in the first round. Young Africans are one of 12 teams that have been exempted by Caf from the preliminary round.
The others are De Agosto of Angola, the Tunisian pair of Etoile Du Sahel and CS Sfaxien, Nigeria’s Enyimba, 2008 Champions League runners-up Cotonsport, Haras El Hodoud of Egypt, Gabon’s FC 105 and Zesco of Zambia.
Newly-crowned Confederation Cup winners Stade Malien of Mali have also been granted a bye into the first round as did ASV Club of DRC and Morocco’s ASFAR.
The final match of the Champions League will be played in November while the Confederation Cup final has been pencilled in for December 2010.
