African Club Cups: semi-finals with Morocco and Benin in sight
The Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca, in 2018, the future theater for the 2021 CAF Champions League final. © WikiCommons / KSKB1935
Text by: David Kalfa Follow
4 min
The semi-finals of the Champions League (C1) Espérance Tunis (Tunisia) - Al Ahly (Egypt) and Kaizer Cheifs (South Africa) - Wydad Casablanca (Morocco) take place on June 19.
Those of the Confederation Cup (C2) Pyramids FC (Egypt) - Raja Casablanca (Morocco) and JS Kabylie (Algeria) - Coton Sport Garoua (Cameroon) are scheduled for June 20.
In sight for these eight clubs, the finals of C1 and C2 respectively scheduled for July 17 in Morocco and July 10 in Benin.
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The 2020-2021 African Club Cups are close to the end, after two very disturbed editions.
The 2019 Champions League and Confederation Cup finals were marked by incidents, while those of 2020 were postponed to October / November because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This time, the signals seem to be green, as long as the health situation allows Morocco to host the C1 final on July 17 and Benin to host that of the C2 on July 10.
C1: The Kaizer Chiefs dream of it
For the Kaizer Chiefs, the semi-final first leg scheduled for June 19 in Casablanca has a special flavor.
Because they have never played in the Champions League final.
On the Soweto side, we obviously dream of imitating the Orlando Pirates and the Mamelodi Sundowns, the only South African clubs to have won the competition.
The Amakhosi will however be far from favorites against a Wydad who crushed them 4-0 in the group stage on February 28.
The WAC which can equal at home on July 17 the three coronations in the Champions League of neighbor and rival Casaoui, Raja, in case of qualification for the final, on June 26, at the end of the semi-final second leg.
C1: Hope - Al Ahly, a clasico
The confrontation between Esperance and Al Ahly promises to be much more uncertain.
This is a real continental clasico.
Egyptians and Tunisians have faced each other twice in the final (2012, 2018) and twice in the semi-finals (2001, 2010), in particular.
The South African coach of Al Ahly Pitso Mosimane can increase his legend a little more in Egypt this summer, if he keeps the trophy, won in November 2020 against Zamalek, and thus offers a tenth trick to the Devils Cairo reds.
For this, it will still be necessary to negotiate the semi-final first leg in Radès on Saturday.
C2: The Raja wants to redeem himself
For Raja Casablanca, it is above all about redeeming itself.
The Moroccan club was eliminated to everyone's surprise in the first round of the Champions League by the Senegalese team of Teungueth.
They were then transferred to the Confederation Cup.
An affront that the Rajaoui can erase by winning this "small" African Cup.
Failure in the semi-finals would be all the more difficult for demanding Raja supporters to accept as the Green Eagles twice dominated Pyramids FC in the group stage (2-0, 3-0) last April.
The semi-final against the Egyptian club is scheduled for June 20 in Cairo.
C2: Coton Sport and JSK, same fight
The one between Coton Sport Garoua and JS Kabylie is scheduled for the same day, in Cameroon, while the second act will take place on June 27.
It will be worth the detour as the two formations want to find the heights.
The last continental final of Cameroonians dates from 2008 in the Champions League.
For the JSK, it's even worse since we have to go back to 1990 (C1).
Not to mention the fact that cotton growers and canaries have never played in the Confederation Cup final ...
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