EFA confirm CAF participation, undecided on clubs

Mbabane: The Eswatini Football Association (EFA) has confirmed they will be sending a club each to compete in the CAF inter-club competitions but are yet to decide on the teams.

The continental CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup are scheduled to begin later in the year as football leagues across the continent return to full swing following a Coronavirus interrupted year. Usually, winners of the MTN League represent the country in the Total CAF Champions League while the Eswatini Bank Cup carries a ticket to the Total CAF Confederation Cup.

Because of Covid-19, the past season was nullified with no relegation effected among other decisions. There were five games remaining in the MTN Premier League while the Eswatini Bank Cup was going for the quarterfinals.

Inside at Sigwaca House have informed Independent News that football big wings are discussing a fair creteria to be used when selecting teams for the CAF tournaments.

“Put into consideration are the use of CAF points, voluntary participation, use of last season log standing, Ingwenyama Cup result instead of Eswatini Bank Cup and financial capacity of teams for the challenge of flying the width and length of the continent,” our well placed source revealed.

A total of 16 clubs from the COSAFA region have entered to compete in this season’s two African club competitions, CAF has confirmed.

They are headlined by the South African trio of Kaizer Chiefs, Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, who are the only COSAFA clubs to have won a continental club title.

Sundowns were Champions League winners in 2016 while Pirates won the old-style Champions Cup in 1995 and Chiefs the now defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup in 2001.

Chiefs and Sundowns will play in the Champions League while Pirates go into the Confederation Cup.

Another venerable name, Zambia’s Nkana FC, who were Champions Cup runners-up in 1990, return to the Champions League field for the first time in two decades.

South Africa and Zambia are entitled to enter two clubs per competition while the rest only one.

The Eswatini Football Association have indicated they will also be entering a club in each of the two annual competitions but are yet to indicate who they will be, CAF added.

But clubs from Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia and the Seychelles have not entered according to the Confederation of African Football.

AFRICAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Botswana: Jwaneng Galaxy

Comoros Islands: US Zilimadjou

Lesotho: Bantu

Mozambique: Costa do Sol

South Africa: Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs

Zambia: Nkana FC, Forest Rangers

Zimbabwe: FC Platinum

AFRICAN CONFEDERATION CUP

Botswana: Orapa United

Comoros Islands: Ngazi Club