Desmond Iwuchukwu
Nigeria Professional Football League Champions Rivers United will know their opponents in the group phase of the CAF Confederation Cup competition.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will hold the draws for the second-tier continental club competition on Monday 12 December 2022 in Cairo, Egypt.
16 teams qualified for the group phase of the money-spinning stage of the CAF Interclub competition.
The teams will be divided into four different groups comprising four teams in each group.
The qualified teams include: ASKO de Kara (Togo), DC Motema Pembe (DR Congo), Pyramids FC (Egypt), Rivers United (Nigeria), Al Akhdar SC (Libya), Diables Noirs (Congo), TP Mazembe (DR Congo), ASFAR Club (Morocco), FC Saint Éloi Lupopo (DR Congo), US Monastir (Tunisia), AS Real Bamako (Mali), Future FC (Egypt), USM Alger (Algeria), Asec Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire), Marumo Gallants (South Africa), Young Africans (Tanzania).
Rivers United is the only surviving club on the continent.
The team started their continental journey in the CAF Champions League but was relegated to the CAF Confederation Cup after their defeat to Wydad of Morocco.
However, CAF will also conduct the Champions League draws alongside the Confederation Cup.
However, CAF has invited some of Africa’s finest players including Angola’s Flavio Amado, Tunisians Medji Traoui and Ayman Mathlouthi, Zambia’s Christopher Katongo, and Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak.
Voted best player in the Champions League in 2001 with Petro Atletico of Angola and three times winner of the same trophy with Egyptian giants Al Ahly (2005, 2006, and 2008), Flavio Amado will relieve a number of memories.
Tunisian Medji Traoui won the CAF Champions League as a player (2007) and coach (2018, 2019) with the same club: Esperance de Tunis. He is now in charge of the Egyptian side Al Masry.
Another Tunisian legend is Ayman Mathlouthi who won the CAF Champions League in 2007 and the CAF Confederation Cup in 2006 and 2015 with Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia). He also won the CHAN 2011 with Tunisia.
Ghizlane Chebbak, current champions of Africa in the Women’s Champions League with Moroccan club, ASFAR will also join the list. She was part of the ASFAR team that won bronze in the CAF Women’s Champions League in 2021 and a gold medal in 2022.
Former Zambian striker Christopher Katongo won the Africa Cup of Nations with the Chipolopolo in 2012. He has played and scored goals for Green Buffaloes in CAF interclub competitions.
