Nigeria wants revenge in African club showpiece
Djidenou Medjigbodo
JOHANNESBURG (Nov 29, 1996 - 12:24 EST) - The showpiece of African club
football takes place Saturday with Shooting Stars of Nigeria hosting
Zamalek of Egypt in the first leg of the Champions Cup final.
Stars are hoping to become the first Nigerian winners of the 32-year-old
competition and the first club to complete an African treble after
lifting the 1976 Cup-winners Cup and the 1992 CAF Cup.
Zamalek also have their hearts set on a place in the record books as
overall victory following the return match in Cairo on Dec. 13 would give
them a record fourth Champions Cup title.
The finalists also clashed in the decider 12 years ago with Zamalek
winning 2-0 in Cairo and 1-0 in Lagos to claim their first triumph in the
annual event.
A much closer contest is expected this time, especially at the 50,
000-capacity Liberty Stadium in the sprawling south-western city of
Ibadan.
Stars boast a 100 percent record there this year with defending champions
Orlando Pirates of South Africa and twice winners JS Kabylie of Algeria
among the victims.
Coaches Ahmodu Shaibu and Boniface Doe, a native of Liberia, saw their
team score 11 goals in the opening rounds, then struggle to overcome
Pirates and Kabylie.
It took a penalty shootout to eliminate Pirates and Nigerian supporters
endured 79 tense minutes before David Ogaga scored the goal which ended
Algerian resistance.
Stars may possess only one Nigerian international in midfielder Sam Pam,
but the side has developed into a formidable fighting force which will
not easily be intimidated, despite the array of talent ranged against
them.
Zamalek are coached by German Dieter Werner, who can call on numerous
internationals plus Kamel Kaci Said, the only Algerian playing club
football in Egypt.
Veteran midfielder Ahmed al-Kass stands out, even in such distinguished
company, and will play in Ibadan after missing the semi-final triumph
over CS Sfaxien of Tunisia through suspension.
Al-Kass is entering the twilight of a career spent largely at Olympic, an
unfashionable Alexandria side, and his running off the ball has led to
many memorable goals for club and country.
Defender Nabil Mohamed is less fortunate as he is serving a two-match ban
after being shown the red card in Sfax when the North African showdown
reached boiling point.
If the Egyptians have a weakness it is temperament with memories still
vivid of their goalkeeper kicking a slow-moving Tunisian ball boy during
the 1994 showpiece.
The Egyptians battled in previous rounds, having only one goal to spare
over modest Sunrise from Mauritius and needing a penalty shootout to
dispose of less experienced Sfaxien.
Only in the quarter-finals against Moroccans CODM Meknes did Zamalek
display the attacking strength that produced three African titles, an
honour they share with Canon Yaounde of Cameroon and Hafia of
Guinea.
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the Nigerian Soccer page :
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~zcecm34/naijasoc.htm
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