Tinkler on remote control for Congo threat
CAPE Town City coach Eric Tinkler will have to settle for a remote-control operation after being banished to the grandstand for today’s CAF Champions League clash against visiting Congolese side AS Otôho at the Athlone Stadium.
CAF (the Confederation of African Football) have decided that Tinkler, who holds a Uefa A licence, is not sufficiently qualified to sit on the team bench for CAF Champions League matches. This is CAF’S way of pushing for coaches to attain CAF qualifications rather than acquire coaching qualifications elsewhere.
Tinkler’s assistant coach Diogo Peral will be barking orders from the team bench instead, although by this time Tinkler would have devised a plan for his instructions to filter down from the grandstand to the team bench via a remote-control operation.
Peral is no stranger to the head coach’s role – just over a year ago he stepped into the hot seat after City placed Jan Olde Riekerink on “administrative leave”. Dutchman Riekerink was appointed as City head coach in November 2019 as a replacement for
Benni Mccarthy. As Tinkler’s “lieutenant” Peral will ensure that the team stays with the game plan.
City warmed up for the match with a goalless draw against Sekhukhune United on Tuesday at Athlone Stadium. City dominated the match with 60% possession and fluffed two chances.
What would have been worrying to City was that Sekhukhune managed more shots on target. This points to a weakness in City’s rearguard which has been leaking goals in Premiership matches this season.
City would have had the benefit of a pre-match outing at Athlone and would be familiar with the subtleties of the playing surface and it is unlikely they will have two poor outings on the trot.
The match will be the first leg of the preliminary round and the second leg will be played next Sunday at the Stade Alphonse Massamba-debat Stadium in Brazzaville.
The aggregate winner will advance to the next round in October.
Whereas City will be making their debut in a CAF competition, AS Otôho, the Congo champions, have qualified for the continental showpiece for the past five seasons.
However, they failed to reach the group stage of the Champions League. Thrice they bombed out in the preliminary round and on the other two occasions they went out either in the first or second round of qualifying.
For City, Khanyisa Mayo, the former Richards Bay striker, remains a key player after several promising displays in the striking zone.
He is their top scorer with four goals this season.
Mayo has formed a two-pronged attack with Venezuelan Darwin Gonzalez
who is becoming reliable for prising open attacks out wide. He also lays on threatening goalmouth crosses.
Former Chippa United central defender Thato Mokeke has made the position his own with a few solid performances although the supporting defence have not been as reliable.
City qualified for the competition after finishing Dstv Premiership runners-up last season. If they survive this preliminary round, they will be joined by Mamelodi Sundowns in the next round.