CAF Champions League 2011: Preliminary Round Draw

The players of TP Mazembe trudged off at the end of the World Club Cup Final as losers to Internationale of Italy. However, despite failing at the final hurdle they knew their place in African football history was secure. Two wins, one against Mexicans Pachuha and another against Brazilian giants Independiente catapulted the Congolese side from the relative obscurity of African club competition into the hearts and minds of football fans the world over.

Lubumbashi based Mazembe’s run to the final was greeted with acclaim across Africa, and more surprisingly perhaps, in the capital of DR Congo Kinshasha where many supporters donned the black and white colours of TP Mazembe during the course of the tournament. Surprising because TP Mazembe aren’t actually the current champions of DR Congo, that honour is held by Kinshasha’s very own AS Vita Club who narrowly defeated Mazembe to the title on goal difference back in November. And there’s certainly no love lost between the side as crowd violence marred their one-all draw back in September.

As champions of the DR Congo, AS Vita Club have qualified for the CAF Champions League 2011 and will enter the tournament at the Preliminary Round stage where they’ll face Zanzibar Ocean View, the current champions of Zanzibar, a country that despite competing in the East African international tournament the CECAFA Cup aren’t actually full FIFA members.

Luckily for Mazembe DR Congo is one of the twelve CAF nations permitted to enter two clubs into the CAF Champions League therefore they will get an opportunity to defend their continental crown for the second year running. It’s perhaps interesting to casual African club football observers that the likes of Ghana and South Africa are only eligible for one  position in the Champions League, due to the relatively poor performances of their club sides in African club football.

First Leg: 28-30 Jan. Second Leg: 11-13 Feb

01 AS Forces Armées Nigeriennes (Niger) v J. C. A. Treichiville (Côte d’Ivoire)
02 Saint Michel de Ouenzé (Congo) v Enyimba FC (Nigeria)
03 Union Sportive de Bitam (Gabon) v Les Astres de Douala (Cameroon)
04 O. Real de Bangui (Centrafrique) v Moloudia C. d’Alger (Algeria)
05 Grupo Desportivo Interclube (Angola) v Township Rollers FC (Botswana)
06 East End Lions FC (Sierra Leone) v Djoliba (Mali)
07 ASC Les Jaraafs (Senegal) v Gambia Ports A. (Gambia)
08 ASPAC FC (Benin) v DVO. Mongomo (Equatorial Guinea)
09 Asec Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire) v ASC SNIM –Cansando (Mauritania)
10 Motor Action F. C. (Zimbabwe) V Cnaps Sports (Madagascar)
11 Raja Club Athlétic (Morocco) v Tourbillon (Chad)
12 Unlinzi Stars Football (Kenya) v Zamalek (Egypt)
13 APR FC (Rwanda) v Club Africain (Tunisia)
14 Club Recreativo Caala (Angola) v Saint George (Ethiopia)
15 Elan Club de Mitsoudjé (Comores) v Simba Sports Club (Tanzania)
16 Mighty Barolle (Liberia) v Kano Pillars (Nigeria)
17 Widad de Casablanca (Morocco) v Aduana Stars FC (Ghana)
18 Fello Star de Labe (Guinea) v AS. Faso – Yennega (Burkina Faso)
19 Vital’O FC (Burundi) v Coton Sport (Cameroon)
20 Zanzibar Ocean View (Zanzibar) v AS V. Club (RD Congo)
21 Supersport (South Africa) v Matlama FC (Lesotho)
22 Young Buffaloes FC (Swaziland) v St. Michel United (Seychelles)
23 Zesco United (Zambia) v Liga Desportiva M. (Mozambique)

The following clubs have byes to the next round: E.S.S. (Algeria), Al Ahly (Egypt), Ittihad (Libya), Stade Malien (Mali), TP Mazembe (RD Congo), Hilal (Sudan), Merrikh (Sudan), E.S.T. (Tunisia) and Dynamos (Zimbabwe).