Crisis as Chiefs ’ opponents fail to make trip to SA
Bamenda may face ban from CAF Champions League
Kaizer Chiefs ’ CAF Champions League preliminary round match against PWD Bamenda is in doubt after the west African side failed to arrive in the country ahead of tonight ’ s second leg.
The Cameroon-based side apparently wrote to CAF to request for the match to be postponed.
The match was supposed to takeplace at the FNB Stadium tonight (6pm).
Amakhosi won the first-leg match 1-0 in Limbe, Cameroon, last week, with Mulomowandau Mathoho scoring the only goal.
Chiefs communications manager Vina Maphosa confirmed that the Cameroonian club did not arrive in the country yesterday and that they were waiting on CAF to advise them on the next step.
“Cameroonian side PWD Bamenda has requested, through CAF, a postponement of our Champions League second-leg preliminary match scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 4 December,” reads a statement from Amakhosi yesterday.
The South African Football Association (Safa) got locked in a crisis meeting with CAF to get to the bottom of the matter.
“We are discussing the issue and we will revert to you after the meeting,” said Tebogo Motlanthe, Safa chief executive.
Bamenda will in all likelihood be kicked out of the competition if they fail to make the trip to SA and fulfill the fixture, if previous precedence is anything to go by.
In fact, Amakhosi themselves were victims in 2002. Chiefs had refused to travel to Madagascar because of the concerns about the safety of their players.
Amakhosi had won the firstleg 4-0 against USM Transfoot at home but did not travel for the return leg due to the political violence in that country.
They got slapped with a twoyear ban from the African club competition by CAF, with Transfoot promoted to the next stage instead.