• Home
• Archives
• LiveScores
• LeagueTables
• Trophies

News Feed

Mazembe ´hide´ ahead of African final

Democratic Republic of Congo club Tout Puissant Mazembe have gone into hiding ahead of the African Champions League final in Lubumbashi Saturday.

And there was no sign of Nigerian opponents Heartland either in the southern Congolese mining city ahead of the second leg that will decide who scoops a record 1.5-million-dollar first prize.

Heartland hold a 2-1 advantage from the first encounter last weekend, but Mazembe are expected to overcome the deficit and raise a trophy they last held 41 years ago.

Mazembe prepared for the first leg in Zimbabwe and returned to Harare after losing in Nigeria to continue training under French coach Diego Garzitto far from the media glare.

“We did not come to Zimbabwe for tourism,” stressed Garzitto, a 59-year-old of Italian descent whose CV includes spells as national coach of Togo and Ethiopia.

“I am delighted we could prepare in Harare because it would have been difficult for my players to focus on the final in Lubumbashi with so much media hype surrounding the game,” he told Zimbabwean reporters.

Garzitto believes the sell-out 35,000 crowd at Kenya Stadium could play a crucial role as the Congolese ‘Crows’ seek a third title after conquering Africa in 1967 and 1968 when the club was called TP Englebert.

“With our wonderful supporters backing us we should be able to win at home,” said the coach who was hired this year as part of a five-million-dollar plan to win the premier African club competition.

Mazembe returned home late Thursday and were taken to a secret location with journalists banned from talking to players like prolific-scoring midfielder and captain Mabi Mputu.

Heartland are not expected in Lubumbashi until late Friday, a move possibly prompted by a fear of the ‘dirty tricks’ so prevalent in African football despite numberous attempts by authorities to eradicate it.

Tricks used by some hosts to demoralise visitors include cutting hot water, playing loud music and serving inferior food in hotels and drivers getting ‘lost’ en route to training facilities.

Nigerian coach Kelechi ‘Caterpillar’ Emetole is hoping for dry weather in the Congolese copper minning capital as he blames a wet, slippery Owerri pitch for a lacklustre first-leg showing.

“We have been in this situation (narrow lead) before and wriggled out. Yes, our backs are to the wall, but that is when you see the best of Heartland,” he told the Nigerian media.

Mazembe have won five games and lost one at home this year in the Champions League while Heartland have won two matches, drawn three and lost two on the road.

JOHANNESBURG (AFP)

Tags: Africa, african champions league, african football, champions league final, club competition, congolese, Democratic Republic, democratic republic of congo, Diego Garzitto, dollar plan, englebert, Ethiopia, first encounter, Harare, italian descent, johannesburg, loud music, lubumbashi, mabi, mazembe, media hype, mining city, national coach, nigeria, republic of congo, secret location, southern Congolese, Togo, Zimbabwe

Related posts

• Win or bust for former African champions Etoile (0)
• Leading Tunisian club fire German coach (0)
• DR Congo´s Mputu voted star of African tournament (0)
• Rusty Ivory Coast tackle angry Algeria (0)
• Gabon will not renew Giresse contract (0)
• Adebayor favoured for top African award (0)
• US gives 125 million dollars to UNHCR (0)
• Singuluma scores hat-trick as Zambia stun Ivory Coast (0)
• S.Africa´s neighbours promise WC will be electric (1)
• FIFA backs AFP initiative to hone African football media (0)
• South Africa´s World Cup puts dreams in sight for African footballer (0)
• Sad exit for Jose as Ahly stunned in Angola (0)
• Politics plays its part at the African Nations Cup (0)
• Jose set to coach Angola after quitting Ahly (0)
• Ilunga keeps Hammers happy (0)

DR Congo´s Mputu voted star of African tournament

JOHANNESBURG (AFP) – Democratic Republic of Congo striker Mabi Mputu was named Monday the best player of the maiden African Nations Championship in Ivory Coast.

Prolific scorer Mputu claimed just one of the seven DR Congo goals scored en route to victory in the competition for home-based stars, but created several others to top an African Football Confederation poll.

Mputu was among four Congolese included in the team of the tournament while runners-up Ghana supplied three and bronze medalists Zambia and fourth-placed Senegal two each.

Team of the tournament

Mamadou Ba (SEN); Samuel Inkoom (GHA), Ofusu Appiah (GHA), Gladys Bokese (COD), Harrison Afful (GHA); Jonas Sakuwaha (ZAM), Kazembe Mihayo (COD), Bongeli Lofo (COD), Moustapha Diallo (SEN); Given Singuluma (ZAM), Mabi Mputu (COD)

Substitutes

Samir Aboud (LBA), Ovidy Karuru (ZIM), Mussa Mgosi (TAN), Ibrahim Ayew (GHA), Mamadou Traore (SEN), Charles Taylor (GHA)

Final ranking

1. Democratic Republic of Congo

2. Ghana

3. Zambia

4. Senegal

5. Tanzania

6. Zimbabwe

7. Libya

8. Ivory Coast

Player of the tournament

Mabi Mputu (COD)

Leading scorer

Given Singuluma (ZAM), 5 goals

Fair play award

DR Congo

Yellow cards

9 – Senegal and Zambia

8 – Ghana

7 – DR Congo

5 – Tanzania and Zimbabwe

4 – Ivory Coast and Libya

Red cards

1 – Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal

Written by: AFP

Tags: aboud, African, african football confederation, african nations, appiah, best player, bronze medalists, charles taylor, congolese, Democratic Republic, democratic republic of congo, diallo, dr congo, gha, ghana, Gladys Bokese, Harrison Afful, Ibrahim Ayew, Ivory Coast, ivory coast ghana, johannesburg, Jonas Sakuwaha, Libya, LibyaRed, mabi, mamadou traore, moustapha, mussa, republic of congo, Samuel Inkoom, Senegal, SenegalWritten, Tanzania, zam, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Related posts

• Singuluma scores hat-trick as Zambia stun Ivory Coast (0)
• I.Coast, Ghana favoured in new African tournament (0)
• DR Congo shock Ghana to win African Nations Championship (0)
• Win or bust for former African champions Etoile (0)
• Mazembe ´hide´ ahead of African final (0)
• Zambia star Singuluma hunts goals and ticket to Europe (0)
• Senegal unlucky as Zambia goal supply runs dry (0)
• S.Africa´s neighbours promise WC will be electric (1)
• Adebayor favoured for top African award (0)
• Rusty Ivory Coast tackle angry Algeria (0)
• Coach says Zambia can upset Egypt (0)
• Angola police hold 2 after Togo team attack (0)
• Leading Tunisian club fire German coach (0)
• Gabon will not renew Giresse contract (0)
• Cameroon star Eto´o sends painful warning to Gabon (0)