Coach Gavin Hunt is under no illusion about the difficult task that awaits SuperSport United, the South African defending league champions, in the first round of the CAF African Champions League — they face the powerful Egyptian side, Al Ahly, in a two-legged contest in Cairo and Pretoria next month.
Few African clubs have as much pedigree on the continent as the feared Red Devils. They have an awesome reputation.
Established in 1907, they have won the continental championship a record six times and were twice runners up in the 54-year history of the pan-African club competition. They have also won the defunct African Cup Winners Cup an impressive four times. The club has won 35 Egyptian league championships and 34 domestic cup competitions. They are currently CAF’s number one ranked team and were recently voted the CAF Club of the Century.
These achievements have not escaped the sharp eyes of Hunt.
“We know what we are up against,” he said this week. “They are a massive club with a huge pedigree on the continent. I have not seen them play recently but I know that they provide at least more than half the Egyptian national team players [Al Ahly actually means “national”]. Yeah, we know what we are up against but we are ready.”
It was refreshing to hear a local coach talking enthusiastically about pan-African club competitions for a change. In the past local clubs have shunned African competitions and avoided CAF matches, citing the long distances involved in travelling across the continent, sometimes alleged ill-treatment by their hosts and a lack of financial incentives.
“I do not think as South Africans we give CAF club competitions enough respect,” said the forthright Hunt, who takes a seriously depleted SuperSport United to war against the formidable Egyptians in Cairo on March 18. “We need to respect CAF competitions a little more and then our local game will flourish.”
‘Fight to the bitter end’
Hunt lost his second-leg preliminary match 2-1 to Matlama in Maseru last week. They had a “dubious” penalty awarded against them and had top striker Anthony Laffor sent off, but fortunately United had built a healthy 2-0 lead from the first-leg match in Polokwane a fortnight earlier to run out 3-2 winners on aggregate.
“I do not want to dwell on what happened in Maseru,” said Hunt when quizzed about their trip across the Caledon River.
“The less said about the match the better. I do not want to be considered a crybaby and attract unwanted attention from referees. I would rather focus on the upcoming match against Al Ahly. This is a massive game and, for us to gain respect, we need to challenge teams like Al Ahly seriously.”
Al Ahly were eliminated in the semifinals of the last edition of the championship by Esperance of Tunisia by a controversial “hand” goal by Nigerian Michael Eneramo. But they boast a formidable line-up that includes veteran Mohamed Barakat, Emad Moteab, Hossam Ghaly, Mohamed Shawky and the creative Wael Gomaa. There is also the tricky Mohamed Nagy, better known as “Geddo”, who is ably assisted by Algerian Amir Sayoud, Liberian Francis Doe and Mauritanian Dominguez da Silva, who can be a handful on any day.
This spells trouble for United who are crossing their fingers that striker Glen Salmon will have recovered in time to take up the leading striker role in the absence of Laffor, who will miss both legs of the tie — he is serving a two-match suspension for the red card he received in Maseru.
“I accept that there is an element of reluctance from local clubs to participate in pan-African club competitions,” said Hunt. “But our league programme as well does not make things easier.
“Look, of the 23 players we registered with CAF by the end of November, we have already lost a couple of players who departed during the open-window period and I think we have about 17 players eligible to play in CAF.
“But, despite all that, we aim to go to the 75 000, capacity Cairo Stadium and fight to the bitter end,” said Hunt. “We will go there and not allow them to roll all over us. We intend to give them a fight of their lives.”
South Africans teams have failed dismally to breach the Red Devils’ defence — Mamelodi Sundowns were handed a 4-1 beating in the 2001 African Champions League final. A year later Kaizer Chiefs were at the receiving end of a 4-1 pasting in the CAF Super Cup final in Cairo.
Bidvest Wits travel to Madagascar for a date with AS Adema during the same weekend in March.