Edo  Mobilises Ahead Bendel Insurance, RS Berkane Clash on Sept. 16

CAF CONFEDERATION CUP

Edo State government has mobilised massive support for Bendel Insurance FC as they prepare to host Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RSB) of Morocco in the Second Qualifying Round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

The Edo-based team will host the 2021/2022 CAF Confederation Cup winners for a place in the group stage, on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City.

The Benin Arsenals who are Nigeria’s Federation Cup holders, secured their spot in the Second Round of the CAF Confederations Cup after a remarkable first and second-leg performance against Aso Chlef of Algeria, who are the 2022/23 Algerian Cup winners.

Speaking ahead of the September 16encounter, the Chief Press Secretary to the Edo State Governor, Andrew Okungbowa, said yesterday that the state is ready to receive the visitors, expressing confidence that the home team will come out victorious after 90 minutes.

According to him, “All is set as our darling team, Bendel Insurance FC, hosts Renaissance Sportive de Berkane (RSB) of Morocco in the first leg of the 2nd Qualifying Round of the CAF Confederation Cup.

“The Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, with its state-of-the-art facilities and impeccable pitch conditions, has been meticulously prepared for this great encounter, and our football-loving fans and supporters are ready and eager, as always, to fill the 12, 000-capacity stadium with their cheers and support for the players, creating an electrifying atmosphere that will certainly inspire the home team to victory.

“It is going to be another carnival-like and festival Saturday in Benin, as the State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has given us a matching order to mobilise Edo people just as we did in the first leg last month, to cheer our darling Insurance to victory. 

“We have already set machinery in place to mobilise our people and to ensure that the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium is filled to capacity on match day with fans and supporters from across the state. 

“We are going to provide free transportation from 12 different locations in Benin city to take people to the stadium and return them after the game.”

The Edo State Government under the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki, has made huge investments in developing and sustaining the football club in particular and the sports sector in general, with investments that have revitalised sporting activities and elevated the state-owned club from erstwhile relegation into the lofty heights of visibility, which the team now enjoys across the nation and the African continent.