GRi Sports Ghana 30 - 03 - 2001
Soccer-Osei Kuffour
to miss Hearts of Oak's Africa Cup opener ?
Soccer-Osei
Kuffour to miss Hearts of Oak's Africa Cup opener ?
Johannesburg (South Africa) 30
March 2001
Emmanuel Osei Kuffour, the
makeshift striker who led Hearts of Oak to the African Champions League title
last year, is likely to be missing when the Ghanaian club begin the defence of
their title this weekend.
Osei Kuffour left this week for
trials with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukraine and will probably not make it back
in time for the first round, first leg match against Etoile du Congo in Kumasi
on Sunday.
But Hearts officials say last
year's CAF golden boot winner would be available for the opening match against
the Congolese, firming that he will return on Friday.
Last year Osei Kuffour was
switched from his customary midfielder role to central striker and scored 10
goals in the Champions League as Hearts won the continental title for the
first time.
But the prospect of a possible
move to European soccer has seen the Ghanaian international put trials in the
Ukraine above what will not be an easy opening match in the defence of Hearts'
trophy.
Osei Kuffour has said he would
stay with Hearts for the world club championship in Spain later this year, even
if the Ukrainian team wanted to sign him.
Teammate Yaw Amankwah Mireku
returned from trials with the same club last week and played for Ghana in
Sunday's win over the Democratic Republic of Congo in their African Nations'
Cup qualifier in Accra.
Mireku missed the second leg of
last year's Champions League final after being sent off in the first leg
against Esperance of Tunisia.
Etoile du Congo warmed up for
their trip to Ghana with a match against the national team of the neighbouring
Democratic Republic of Congo, drawing 1-1 in Kinshasa last week.
Hearts have five former African
champions to contend with in this year's Champions League field, including
Esperance who they controversially beat in the two-leg decider.
Egypt's Al Ahli, Morocco's Raja
Casablanca and ASEC Abidjan are among the strong contenders while TP Mazembe
Englebert of DR Congo have also won the top club prize in Africa in the past.
Esperance play this year without
captain and goalkeeper Chokri El Ouaer who is banned after trying to fake an
injury in last year's final.
Midfielder Walid Azaiez starts a
four-match suspension for his sending-off against Hearts in a match in Accra
last December.
Esperance host minnows JS Tenere
of Niger at home in Tunis in their first round, first leg match this weekend.
Al Ahli meet Red Sea of Eritrea in Cairo while Raja are at home to USFA of
Burkina Faso, the army club who had to come through the preliminary round last
month.
Raja lost in the domestic
championship in midweek to COD Meknes but still remain the form team in the
north African country.
ASEC, who won the Champions League
three years ago, have a tougher opener against Stade Malien from nearby Mali.
A near-full programme of fixtures
is also scheduled at the first round, first leg stage of both the African Cup
Winners' Cup and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup this weekend.
In the Cup Winners' Cup Okwahu
United of Ghana have withdrawn for financial reasons and in the process picked
up a fine and a three-year ban from continental competition.
Their absence gives Evico of Gabon
a berth in the second round in May. The CAF Cup this year has a vastly reduced
field because of a new rule from CAF demanding a US$ 20,000 entry fee, which is
used to pay the travel expenses of match officials.
Entries have been restricted
because of financial constraints all over the continent.
GRi…/
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