FIFA BAN AN INCONVENIENCE TO CHIEFS?

HITHERTO, Kaizer Chiefs were chasing the impossible dream of winning the CAF Champions League title at their first attempt in their 51-year history.

In the aftermath of their 3-0 defeat by Egyptian giants Al Ahly in Morocco on Saturday night, it now seems that the dream was out of reach.

Or was it? In light of the fact that after 45 minutes, neither team had scored, and that Chiefs played the second half with 10 men, perhaps it was closer than we believe.

By half-time, Al Ahly enjoyed 71% possession but were unable to convert this into anything tangible on the scoreboard. It is worth noting that in many earlier round-robin matches, Chiefs were starved of possession but managed to win or draw. Sometimes, Chiefs’ opponents had as much as 80% possession.

They were underdogs in every match, and their most impressive achievement en route to the final was eliminating two-time Champions League winners Wydad in the semi-final.

On the eve of the final, Chiefs gaffer Stuart Baxter and many of his players felt they had it in them to spring another surprise. However, any chance of that materialising disappeared into the night sky with Happy Mashiane’s red card. Chiefs would be numerically disadvantaged for the rest of the match.

Up to that stage, Chiefs had managed to absorb the pressure without Al Ahly inflicting damage. It seemed Baxter's blueprint was a good one.

However, once Al Ahly opened the scoring, three goals followed in 22 minutes, and they were well on their way to a 10th Champions League title.

Ahead of the opening goal, Al Ahly started showing style and sharpness in attack, befitting champions. After the third goal, they showed swagger as they rubbed Chiefs’ noses in the lush Mohammed V Stadium turf.

It was an exceptional achievement by Chiefs to reach the final after qualifying for group stages for the first time. They set out in the preliminary round with a demoralised team, battling on the domestic front.

The Fifa ban meant Chiefs could not strengthen their squad with new signings. Players were also mentally scarred after losing the DStv League title on the final day of the season.