Drama as CAF Orders Rivers Utd to Play Motema Pembe Today
*Congolese team earlier walked over after no-show at Uyo
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Rivers United’s hope of extending the leadership of the Group B of this year’s CAF Confederation Cup was put on hold yesterday following the no-show of
DR Congo’s DC Motema Pembe in the crucial Match-day 4 slated for the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo.
In what has become a recurring decimal in how rules of competition are subverted in the continent, CAF is believed to have rescheduled the match for this afternoon at 3pm at same venue without giving any reason why the Congolese team failed to show up in Uyo yesterday.
THISDAY learnt that match officials present at the game had done a walkover with Rivers United players and officials celebrating picking the three points and three goals to go nine points at the top of Group B.
However, their joy was cut short when it was learnt from Motema Pembe club website that CAF had shifted the match to today without informing neither Rivers United nor the Nigeria Football Federation. Although another independent source hinted that Rivers United officials were only informed of the flight hitches faced by the Congolese team late yesterday evening. The visitors are to bear the burden of the extra day.
The statement on Motema Pembe site read as follows: “MATCH POSTPONED FOR TOMORROW (THURSDAY). CAF accepts the exemptions of the two concerned federations to postpone this match to tomorrow at 20h. While waiting for the landing at midnight of the plane carrying our delegation (to Nigeria), the officers (officials) of this encounter have been ordered by CAF to postpone the event to tomorrow (Thursday),” concludes the statement on the club’s website.
Before this latest development, there were fears in the Rivers United camp that the disqualification of Motema Pembe could spell doom for the Nigerian team as this could lead to the cancellation of all matches played by the Congolese team.
Sources in the camp of the Pride of Rivers people however insisted last night that they remain unfazed and would battle the visitors for all three points to ensure that they maintain their lead going into the quarter final stage.
Elsewhere in the Group B of the CAF Confederation last night, Ivorien team, ASEC Mimosas went to Congo’s other team in the competition, CSM Diables Noir, to pick a point in the goalless draw. Both teams are tied on five points each behind Rivers United on six points with today’s outstanding fixture against Motema Pembe. Motema are at the bottom of the table on just two points.
Tanzania’s Young Africans (Yanga) and Egypt’s Pyramids also kept their hopes of qualifying to the quarter finals of the CAF Confederation Cup alive after winning their fourth round group matches yesterday evening.
Yanga won 2-0 at home against Real de Bamako while Pyramids thrashed Togo’s AS Kara 4-1.
