Debt suffocates "team of the people" .. Donations campaign to save the African Tunisian from landing

African Tunisian fans launched a fundraising campaign in their race against time to save the club from collapse due to a choking debt crisis.

On Tuesday, Ansar launched a campaign to raise one million dinars ($ 353,000) to help pay players and former coaches and delay penalties, and they have already raised more than one million dinars in a single day.

"A day will remain etched forever in golden letters in the collective memory of the club, thanks to the magnificent generosity of the fans, who faced the challenge in a spirit of solidarity and inexhaustible love for the club," he said in a statement.

The Football Association has started in recent weeks efforts to save the African debt crisis, which caused financial and sports sanctions on the club.

In September, the federation, in agreement with the African administration, decided to open a bank fundraising account to repay debt of more than 17 million dinars to save the club from penalties that could amount to relegation.

The crowd responded to calls for donations, groups competed with each other, and former African players and coaches joined them to raise funds for the rescue.

"I am happy first of all for the wonderful movement of the African masses and have succeeded in winning the challenge, and secondly because the initiative has begun to bear fruit after the donations amounted to about three million dinars since the bank account was opened," Union President Wadih al-Jari told local media.

"We have managed to close many dangerous files but the club is still threatened with further sanctions if their debts are not cleared, and we are trying to settle them to avoid bad scenarios."

Despite their financial woes, the Africans have won six wins in seven league games this season, starting with a three-point deduction after a FIFA penalty because of financial dues related to a deal involving Algerian striker Brahim Chenhi.

But the club, which is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary, still faces further threats to deduct more points if it fails to pay its debts.

Africans have been banned from registering new players over the past two transition periods and are still threatened with similar penalties.

He spent lavishly on new players to bolster his squad for the 2014-2015 season in a bid to return to the top of the podiums.

He won the league title for the first time after a seven-year absence, but the price was a heavy legacy of debt that shattered the club's back and brought him into a dark tunnel he could not get out of.

The club faced a flood of crises after a large number of former players and coaches turned to FIFA to get their outstanding dues.

Club Africain, Tunisia's second most successful club behind arch-rivals Esperance, won 13 league titles, won the Tunisian Cup 13 times and became the first Tunisian club to be crowned African champions in 1991.