The draws for the African Champions League and the Confederations Cup were held in Cairo last week With Egypt's Ahli, CS Sfaxien of Tunisia, Coton Sport of Cameron and ASEC Momosas of Cote d'Ivoire joining the Confederations Cup, experts believe this competition, though less prestigious than the African Champions League, is this year at least just as strong if not more. The Confederations Cup, which includes 16 teams who will battle it out in the quarter-finals, is now expected to attract more attention than the Champions League, Inas Mazhar reports. Surprisingly, the richer and more famous Champions League has become, for some, dull in the absence of big names with the exception of Tunisia's L'Etoile du Sahel, winner of the 2007 edition. "How do you call them big names if they have lost to teams weaker than themselves?" the manager of TP Mazembe of the Republic of Congo, in the Champions League. told Al-Ahram Weekly. "They are no longer as strong as they were. The eight competing teams now in the Champions league are big names. They deserve that." The Champions League Group A includes El Merreikh (Sudan), El Hilal (Sudan), Zesco United (Zambia) and Kano Pillars (Nigeria). Group B comprises TP Mazembe (RD Congo), Heartland (Nigeria), Monomotapa (Zimbabwe) and Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia). "We are proud to have two Sudanese teams in the same competition. This shows how much Sudanese football has improved lately. Being in the same group means the two teams can clash against each other and Sudanese fans will enjoy watching another two derbies between the two biggest clubs in the country," said Magdi Shamseddin, an official at the Sudan FA. "Both teams are so confident and the officials of both clubs are aiming at securing the top two places and qualifying for the semi- finals," Shamseddin told the Weekly. In the Confederations Cup, the following matches will take place: Primeiro de Agosto (Angola) vs CS Sfaxien (Tunisia); Ahli (Egypt) - Santos (Angola); Djoliba AC (Mali) - ES Sétif (Algeria); Ahly Tripoli (Libya) - Haras El Hodoud (Egypt); Coton Sport (Cameroon) - AS V Club (RD Congo); IZ Khemisset (Morocco) - Stade Malien (Mali); Kampala CC (Uganda) - Bayelsa United (Nigeria); ASEC Mimosas (Côte d'Ivoire) - ENPPI (Egypt). The first leg matches will take place on any of the following dates: 15, 16, 17/05/2009 while the 2nd leg will be held on 29, 30, 31/ 05/2009. Lamiri Choukri, Etoile du Sahel's representative at the draw held in Cairo, said he was satisfied with the group in which his team was placed. "In Sousse, we were praying to avoid the Sudanese teams and our wish came true. After a brief difficult period the club seems to have restablished itself. Before now and the start of the next phase, there will be some holidays and people can return to work harder. "I believe that the Champions League is still a strong competition and it will not be easy for L'etoile Du Sahel as some believe. The teams we are facing are teams who managed to overcome the giants of the likes of Ahli, Coton Sport and ASEC. So they are now new threats and we have to be careful. "I hope that Ramadan which is coming soon will not have any negative effect on our players especially with teams like TP Mazembe in our group." Technical Director of TP Mazembe Ouattara Aboubacar said he is expecting an open and intense competition in the group. "Etoile Sahel is one of the pillars of African football for the past decade and the two other teams relatively unknown have proved their worth. You don't get to this stage of the competition by chance. There must be some quality in the team which is what we have been able to do. But experience has shown that we need to be humble as we need to go as far as possible, like our other opponents will want to. It will be great to win the trophy in the same year that we won the African Nations Championship." Roger Ouegnin, president of ASEC Mimosas, said that playing against an Egyptian team has never been easy. ASEC is to face ENPPI in the Confederations Cup. "I don't know the club but I have had contacts with officials of ENPPI when we transferred one of our players, Die Foneye Vincent de Paul, to them. In Ivory Coast we have respect for Egyptian football. ENPPI is one of the rising teams and we need to be watchful because we can meet Ahli, Setif or Coton Sport if we go through this stage. It will be some sort of a mini-Champions league. For now we have to focus on the upcoming game. We shall have time to talk about what will come next," Ouegnin said. The Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headed by President Issa Hayatou met the day before the draw. The committee approved a report presented by the Inter-Clubs Committee following its meeting earlier, and the draw procedures for the two competitions. A progress report on CAF licensing was presented and the Executive Committee responded positively and encouraged the committee in charge to finalise the formalisation process. Another progress report on the last inspection visit in respect of the Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations was presented by leader of the CAF delegation Mohamed Raouraoua. The Executive Committee is calling on the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations to double their efforts to meet the deadlines set. The fixtures for the 10- 30 January 2010 tournament have also been approved. The Executive Committee also granted the hosting rights for the next edition of the CAF Futsal Championship to Burkina Faso in 2010. Libya hosted the last edition, the fourth of its kind, in 2008. The regional slots for the next edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN), billed for Sudan in 2011, have also been approved: Northern Zone -- 2 (Two), CECAFA -- 3 (Three), COSAFA -- 3 (Three), Central Zone -- 3 (Three), Zone West B -- 3 (Three), Zone West A -- 2 (Two). Slim Chiboub has been co-opted, again, for the next four years as a member of the CAF Executive Committee. Aloulou's term expired in January 2009. He had served previously as an elected member on the FIFA/CAF executive committee member, from 1988 to 2004. A progress report on the CAF Football Centre of Excellence in Cameroon, Senegal and Ethiopia was also presented. All three centres have been fully completed. The next Executive Committee meeting is to be held on 11-12 September in Cairo. By Inas Mazhar
