Libya’s Al-Ittihad Walk over Enyimba in Benghazi to Reach Group Stage

CAF CONFEDERATION CUP

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Nigeria’s last team in CAF’s Confederation Cup, Enyimba FC of Aba, may have crashed out of the second tier continental competition via a walked over yesterday in Benghazi, Libya.

Al-Ittihad who penultimate week lost 0-2 in Aba, yesterday walked over the Nigerian team at the Benina Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi after the People’s Elephant could not make the trip to Libya to honour the December 19 date for the fixture earlier to have been played in Tunisia.

The circumstances leading to Enyimba’s exit appeared to have started from their inabilities to cross from Morocco into Tunisia due to Covid-19 restrictions in Tunisia that required 14days quarantine for both coming in and going out of the country.

THISDAY learnt that CAF accepted Enyimba’s explanations on why they could not cross from Morocco into Tunisia to honour the first leg tie. Al-Ittihad’s quest to walk over Enyimba was turned down.

In other to honour dates set for the second leg ties, both teams agreed to play the second leg ‘first’ in Aba which the Nigerian team won. Enyimba even made attempts to influence CAF to accept the tie to be one-off but the request was turned down.

THISDAY further checks revealed that the decision to play yesterday’s match in the window of December 17-19th was taken by CAF’s Organizing Committee of Inter-clubs Competitions on December 1 and was communicated to all parties.

But instead of Enyimba to begin preparations for the match, appealed for the match to be moved to December 31. CAF’s Appeals Committee turned down the request, insisting that only Al-Ittihad could grant such a request. The Libyans refused and insisted on yesterday.

Time however was too short for the Aba team to begin preparations to travel in barely 48 hours. The result was the walk over that took place yesterday in Benghazi with Al-Ittihad qualifying for the Group stage of the Confederation Cup alongside another Libyan side, Al-Ahly Tripoli that progress via shootout victory over Stade Malien.

Enyimba FC’s Chairman, Felix Anyasi-Agwu in his reaction described the walk over as part of ‘Arab conspiracy’ in African inter-clubs football.

Speaking on SportsVille programme on Channel Television yesterday, Anyasi insisted that the time was too short between when the Appeals Committee turned down their request to extend the date and yesterday when the match took place in Benghazi.

He however admitted that Plan ‘B’ to charter an aircraft to lift the team to Libya did not materialize due to the demand of $150,000 by the airline.