Minnows get Champions League chance
in BBC Football
30.01.2009
The African Champions League kicks off this weekend, offering the continent's smaller clubs a chance to shine.
Many big guns sit out this round, allowing the likes of Etoile d'Or Mirontsy of Comoros and Uganda's Kampala City Council to take centre stage.
Some former winners are in action, however.
FAR Rabat have a difficult task in taking on Sporting da Praia of Cape Verde, who knocked them out last year.
That was a major shock for the 1985 champions, who had won the first leg 3-0. They eventually went out on penalties.
The Moroccans are again at home in the first leg this time around in Saturday's match.
Other previous champions in this first phase include Canon Yaoundé of Cameroon, Renaissance Aiglons of Congo Brazzaville and Club Africain of Tunisia.
Canon will be hoping to build on the performance of their compatriots Coton Sport Garoua, who went all the way to the final last year.
They were beaten by the serial winners Al Ahly of Egypt, who are one of the teams to have a bye into the second round.
Zimbabwe's Monomotapa get the chance to make their debut in the tournament, having pipped Harare giants Dynamos - last year's semi-finalists - to the title.
They host Miembeni of Zanzibar in the first leg.
Kenya's Mathare United, led by the sacked former coach of the national side Francis Kimanzi, are away to ZESCO United in Zambia.
Another team to watch out for is Etoile d'Or Mirontsy of Comoros.
They travel to Dar es Salaam to take on Young Africans.
The chances of them causing an upset would seem to be slim, but the president of the Comoros FA, Yusuph Ali, says the experience is worth it.
"You know every country needs experience," he told the BBC's African sports programme Fast Track.
"It is a big challenge for us to be among the big players in Africa and to play the big teams like Young Africans.
"More and more we'll grow and then maybe in two years or five years we'll be like Young Africans."
And he ended on an optimistic note.
"Now it is like David and Goliath," he said, "but as you know, David won."
in BBC Football
30.01.2009
The African Champions League kicks off this weekend, offering the continent's smaller clubs a chance to shine.
Many big guns sit out this round, allowing the likes of Etoile d'Or Mirontsy of Comoros and Uganda's Kampala City Council to take centre stage.
Some former winners are in action, however.
FAR Rabat have a difficult task in taking on Sporting da Praia of Cape Verde, who knocked them out last year.
That was a major shock for the 1985 champions, who had won the first leg 3-0. They eventually went out on penalties.
The Moroccans are again at home in the first leg this time around in Saturday's match.
Other previous champions in this first phase include Canon Yaoundé of Cameroon, Renaissance Aiglons of Congo Brazzaville and Club Africain of Tunisia.
Canon will be hoping to build on the performance of their compatriots Coton Sport Garoua, who went all the way to the final last year.
They were beaten by the serial winners Al Ahly of Egypt, who are one of the teams to have a bye into the second round.
Zimbabwe's Monomotapa get the chance to make their debut in the tournament, having pipped Harare giants Dynamos - last year's semi-finalists - to the title.
They host Miembeni of Zanzibar in the first leg.
Kenya's Mathare United, led by the sacked former coach of the national side Francis Kimanzi, are away to ZESCO United in Zambia.
Another team to watch out for is Etoile d'Or Mirontsy of Comoros.
They travel to Dar es Salaam to take on Young Africans.
The chances of them causing an upset would seem to be slim, but the president of the Comoros FA, Yusuph Ali, says the experience is worth it.
"You know every country needs experience," he told the BBC's African sports programme Fast Track.
"It is a big challenge for us to be among the big players in Africa and to play the big teams like Young Africans.
"More and more we'll grow and then maybe in two years or five years we'll be like Young Africans."
And he ended on an optimistic note.
"Now it is like David and Goliath," he said, "but as you know, David won."