CAIRO: Harras Hodoud coach Tarek Al-Ashri believes Cairo giants Ahly will spice up the CAF Confederation Cup. Title-holders Ahly surprisingly exited the Champions League at the hands of Nigerian side Kano Pillars in the round of 16. They will now play in Africa s secondary competition, the Confederation Cup. Ahly will add zest to the competition, Al-Ashri told Nile Sports after Hodoud eased into the third round with a 6-1 aggregate victory over EGSG of Tunisia. The existence of three Egyptian clubs (Hodoud, Ahly and ENPPI) will increase the country s chances of winning the title. Although Egyptian clubs have the lion s share of African triumphs in the Dark Continent, the Confederation Cup is the only title to have evaded them. This season s edition will witness the participation of some high-profile clubs who failed to get beyond the preliminary rounds in the Champions League. Ivorian powerhouse ASEC Mimosas and last season s finalists Coton Sport were eliminated after losing to Monomotapa United and Heartland FC respectively. The Confederation Cup has become more of a Champions League, Al-Ashri added. Hodoud, who claimed their first title in history after overcoming ENPPI in the Egyptian Cup final earlier this year, are having a season to remember. They lie third in the Egyptian Premier League table with 49 points and still have a chance of earning a historic place in the Champions League. The military side are five points behind second-placed Ahly, the team whom they face later this month, with three matches to go. We have to be realistic. Our priority is to hold onto our third-place position, Al-Ashri commented.
