Comitis eyes Confed Cup success
THE AMBITIOUS Cape Town City have set their sights on going all the way in their first appearance in the Caf Confederation Cup.
The Citizens booked their place in next year’s competition by finishing third in their debut season in the PSL after John Comitis bought Mpumalanga Black Aces’ status and relocated the club to the Mother City. The Citizens brought fresh energy and innovation to the country’s football landscape. Their ambition was quenched by the Telkom Knockout title they won before they turned a year old. That ambition has further increased now that the club will expand their horizons.
City start their Confederation Cup campaign against Young Buffaloes of Swaziland with the first leg in Mbabane. Should they win that match, they will face either Galaxy FC of Botswana or Clube de Desportos da Costa do Sol of Mozambique with a place in the group stage up for grabs. This year’s Confederation Cup losing finalists, SuperSport United, got a bye in the first round. Matsatsantsa a Pitori will then take on Masters Security Services FC of Mali or Atletico Petroleos de Luanda of Angola.
“The target is to go all the way, there are no compromises,” City boss, Comitis said. “It’s a good thing that we have been handed a relatively easy start and not a start from hell. Swaziland is easy to access which means that the logistics are easy. They aren’t a footballing powerhouse, so expecting a positive result in our first match isn’t a tough ask.”
Mamelodi Sundowns, just like their cross-town rivals SuperSport, got a bye in the preliminary round of the Caf Champions League thanks to winning the League in 2016 and reaching the quarter-finals this year – losing to eventual winners Wydad Casablanca of Morocco.
The Brazilians will be eager to make up for that disappointment in their clash with either Rayon Sport of Rwanda or Lydia Ludic Burundi Academic in the first round. Wits were drawn with Pamplemousses of Mauritius in the preliminary round.
The Confed Cup and Champions League will run from February to November.