A club owned by Sierra Leone star Mohamed Kallon is set to cause a stir in the African Champions League this weekend. FC Kallon shocked fellow debutants Ocean Boys of Nigeria by forcing a 0-0 draw last month in the first leg of a first-round qualifier for the $3,5-million competition.
And coach Abu Sankoh has warned the Nigerians to expect hell in the return match as he eyes a second-round showdown with star-studded Côte d’Ivoire outfit ASEC Abidjan.
”We went to Nigeria for a draw and got it. I don’t believe Ocean Boys can surprise us at home. As far as I am concerned, they are going to see hell in Freetown,” boasted Sankoh.
”The Nigerians are wasting their time coming. We are unbeaten in more than 30 games and my confidence is increased by the fact that we held them despite not performing at our best.”
Striker Ogbonna Onuoha was Ocean Boys’s first-leg villain, wasting several chances to give his team the lead and coach Tunde Disu has come under fierce pressure from football officials and politicians.
Chairperson Nathaniel Ngor-Silva has threatened to quit if his club are dumped out of the Champions League while the deputy governor in the state where the Ocean Boys are based warned the coach to work harder and ensure success.
Kallon plays for French club Monaco, who have lent him to several clubs and recent reports linked the quicksilver striker with a return to Italy and English Premiership strugglers Watford.
Ocean Boys are not the only favourites in trouble with former title holders Asante Kotoko of Ghana and Canon Yaounde of Cameroon clinging to 1-0 leads ahead of away matches.
Defender Dan Acquah converted a second-half penalty to give twice winners Kotoko a slender advantage over Port Authority of Gambia and rumours that Turkish coach Telat Uzim is facing the axe have not helped morale.
Etoile of the Democratic Republic of Congo demonstrated their African ambitions by hiring Romanian coach Nicolae Bourcea and travelling to West Africa for warm-up matches before confronting Canon.
And after restricted the three-time winners to a first-half goal by Jean Ngambe, the Brazzaville-based club will hope to heighten the football euphoria in a country celebrating winning the African youth championship last weekend.
The other five former champions in action, Esperance of Tunisia, JS Kabylie of Algeria, Wydad Casablanca of Morocco, Tout Puissant Mazembe of the DRC and Zamalek of Egypt, are more comfortably placed.
Esperance and Wydad hold four-goal advantages over minnows Renaissance of Chad and Mauritel of Mauritania while Mazembe and Zamalek are three goals ahead of Police of Botswana and Vital’O of Burundi respectively.
A late goal left Balantas of Guinea Bissau 3-1 losers at Kabylie and the outsiders from West Africa will believe they have a slim chance of shocking the 1981 and 1990 title holders.
Defending champions al-Ahly of Egypt have a bye into the second round during March, when they launch their challenge for a record third consecutive title with a tie against Pamplemousses SC of Mauritius or Highlanders of Zimbabwe. ‒ Sapa-AFP