LEOPARD CAF CLASH PUT ON HOLD

MBABANE – The second leg match between Algeria’s JS Kabylie and Royal Leopard has been put on hold due to the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron.

The new variant, which has already hit some countries, saw travelling restrictions imposed on South Africa and some Southern African countries. “Due to latest developments related to the COVID-19 travel restrictions, Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has postponed the TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup fixture JS Kabylie (Algeria) vs Royal Leopards (Eswatini). The second leg game of the additional second preliminary round was scheduled on Sunday December 5, 2021. The new date will be communicated in due course,” reads a statement from cafonline.com.

The game was due to be played at 1st November stadium in Tizi-Ouzou, Algeria. Leopard was going to the match with a 1-0 lead after their victory on Sunday at the Mavuso Sports Centre during the first leg match. Leopard scored the lone goal through South Africa striker, Thabiso Mokenkoane who netted in the 23rd minutes. Leopard Public Relations Officer (PRO) Frank Hurube confirmed that they have received a correspondence, cancelling the match but he did not have much details. He said there was nothing they could do but to follow what CAF instructs.

Restrictions

Some of the countries to have imposed the travelling restrictions to South Africa include the United Kingdom (UK), US, EU Members, Canada, Turkey, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates and Australia among others. The police ensemble was due to leave the country tomorrow for the second leg tie.  They were to connect a flight from South Africa, via the United Arab Emirates to Algeria. Hurube said they will now turn their focus to the MTN Premier League. The log leaders face Manzini Wanderers in week five of the MTN Premier League. They are top of the log with 12 points after four matches, recording a 100 per cent start to their campaign of defending the title.

“We are ready to play our next fixture and now it is up to the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE). Otherwise the team will be ready to play because we were made aware of the developments early,” he added. Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe confirmed that the match has been postponed until further notice. The aggregate winner between the two sides will qualify for the group stages where a team is guaranteed at least E7.4 million.

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