Sports
ACL: Esperance To Fight GAF’s Replay Directive
Tunisian club, Esperance, has vowed not to “give up their rights” while Wydad Casablanca’s Nigeria winger Michael Babatunde is “delighted.”
Those are the differing reactions to the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) order to replay the second leg of the Champions League.
Esperance led 1-0 in Friday ‘s second leg but their Moroccan opponents left the pitch after an equaliser they scored was disallowed.
Wydad wanted the video assistant referee to check if the goal should stand but the system was not working.
A CAF statement said on Wednesday “conditions of game and safety were not met” and that the second leg should will be replayed at a neutral venue.
In a statement issued on its Facebook page, Esperance said they “will not give up their rights and will defend them in every legal way possible”
“We were shocked by the decision and will hold an emergency meeting in the next few days to appeal this decision with the specialised international authorities.
“We will take all necessary measures to defend the team’s rights in every legal aspect possible.”
A member of Esperance’s executive committee, Walid El Arem, said in a video, “This is a dangerous unprecedented event”
“There is no law backing up the decision to replay the game” he added.
“All I can tell Esperance fans is that we will not give up, we will take the matter to Cas (the Court of Arbitration for Sport).”
Head of the legal committee at Esperance, Riadh Touiti, said in the same video that “Esperance had nothing to do with VAR not working that day”
“Caf officials had no business being on the pitch that day. Their presence on the pitch created a commotion and encouraged Al Wydad players to do what they did.”
Esperance said they are waiting for an official letter from CAF informing them of the decision before proceeding with the matter.
Wydad are yet to officially react to the news but their Nigeria winger Babatunde says he is delighted that the match be replayed.
“This really excites me to be honest, the controversial way the game in Tunisia ended wasn’t right,” he told Tidesport source.
“Caf has taken the right decision now by ordering a replay at a neutral venue because the continent deserves it.
“This replay is the best way to determine the true champions of Africa and not the way it ended in Rades.”
Wydad Casablanca had put the controversies of the African Champions League second leg behind them to clinch their 20th Moroccan league title on Tuesday.
The championship was won with a game to spare with a 4-1 win over Olympique Khouribga which put them six points clear of city rivals Raja.
“We’ve won the league title and winning the Champions League trophy was the target at the start of the season,” he added.
“Now we have another chance to do it. The players are delighted and our fans are happy because a chance has been presented to have another go at it.”
Hon Dike who spoke with sports journalists shortly after the flag off the 2024 edition of Chairman’s Football Unity Tournament at Botem Tai in Tai LGA, said the tournament is an annual event to promote peace and unity in Tai as well identify budding talents in the area for global competition.
The opening ceremony of the tournament was more like a carnival was witnessed by huge crowd including prominent indigenes of Ogoni Kingdom, sports lovers and people from all works of life.
The LGA boss revealed that special sports committee will be setup in the area to work out modalities to strengthen sports development in Tai.
He advised the participants in the tournament from various wards in the LGA to play the game by the rules and conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner and use the opportunity to showcase their talents.
Hon Dike further disclosed that his administration will also give priority attention to skills development among the youth to enhance their human capacity and promote enterprise development in the area.
Earlier in his address the Chairman of Tai LGA Football Council, Elder Wisdom Gorgor said the annual football competition has been a unifying factor in Tai LGA that need to be sustained to forge more unity and development in the area.
He urged the participants to see the competition as an opportunity to embrace football as a full career and earn sustainable livelihood.
Elder Gorgor who commended the Chairman of Tai LGA, Hon Dike for his visionary leadership and tremendous development achievements recorded in the LGA under his administration, appealled to the Chairman to build a Mini Sports Stadium in the area to promote sporting activities.
The training was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium Indoor Basketball Court in Kano last Saturday.
According to the Vice President and Head of NBA Nigeria, Gbemisola Abudu, the event was part of the league’s commitment to growing broader basketball ecosystem in Nigeria and making the game more accessible across the country.
“Our first Jr. NBA clinic in Kano speaks to our commitment to growing the game in Nigeria and creating more opportunities for boys and girls to learn and play the game,” Abudu said.
“Nigeria has a rich basketball history and abundance of talent, which is evident every time you watch an NBA game. We look forward to continuing to engage with basketball stakeholders, business leaders and members of the community to further the game’s reach and impact on young people around the country,” she added.
The 2024 basketball initiative clinics of NBA Nigeria also included the league’s inaugural Jr. NBA elite camp for 150 boys and age-16 girls held at the American International School in Lagos in July.
Others include the NBA’s building of 1,000 courts in Africa over the next decade, Nigeria’s Festival Coins and Salubata named the top two winning businesses at NBA Africa Triple-Double Accelerator’s inaugural Demo Day in New York City held last September, and the third edition of “NBA Meets Art,” a curated installation celebrating basketball through the lens of Nigerian art and culture as part of West Africa’s premier art fair Art X Lagos, held in November.
Central to this vision is the federation’s investment in capacity building, evident in the just-concluded one-week Level 1 Badminton World Federation (BWF) Coaching Course, which marked a significant milestone for Nigerian badminton.
Held in Abuja, the course brought together 13 young coaches from across Nigeria. The last time such a course was held in the country was in 2017, making this a historic and transformative step.
The training was facilitated by the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) in partnership with the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN) and conducted by Dr. Ahmed Radah, the BCA Development Manager.
Radah, impressed by the talent he witnessed, praised Nigeria’s potential.
“Nigeria is blessed with immense talent and a strong badminton tradition. I believe this country has what it takes to dominate on the global stage,” he remarked.
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