The 2018–19 CAF Champions League (officially the 2018–19 Total CAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 55th edition of Africa's premier club football tournament organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and the 23rd edition under the current CAF Champions League title.
| 2018–19 Total CAF Champions League | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Dates | 27 November 2018 – 31 May 2019 |
| Teams | 57 (from 46 associations) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Espérance de Tunis (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  Wydad AC |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 144 |
| Goals scored | 338 (2.35 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |  Themba Zwane (5 goals) |
← 2018 2019–20 → | |
This season followed a transitional calendar which allows the CAF club competitions to switch from a February-to-November schedule to an August–to-May schedule, as per the decision of the CAF Executive Committee on 20 July 2017.[2] It began in December 2018, right after the 2018 season had finished, and ended in May 2019, before the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (which had been switched from a January/February to a June/July date). The next season then started after the Africa Cup of Nations and followed the new calendar.[3]
Defending champions Espérance de Tunis won a second consecutive title, being declared the winners after their second leg match against Wydad AC in the final was abandoned.
As winners of the 2018–19 CAF Champions League, Espérance de Tunis qualified for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar, and earned the right to play against the winners of the 2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup, Zamalek, in the 2020 CAF Super Cup.[4]
Association team allocation
editAll 56 CAF member associations may enter the CAF Champions League, with the 12 highest ranked associations according to their CAF 5-year ranking eligible to enter two teams in the competition.[4] As a result, theoretically a maximum of 68 teams could enter the tournament – although this level has never been reached.
For the 2018–19 CAF Champions League, the CAF uses the 2013–2017 CAF 5-year ranking, which calculates points for each entrant association based on their clubs’ performance over those 5 years in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup. The criteria for points are the following:[5][6][7]
| CAF Champions League | CAF Confederation Cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Winners | 6 points | 5 points |
| Runners-up | 5 points | 4 points |
| Losing semi-finalists | 4 points | 3 points |
| Losing quarter-finalists (from 2017) | 3 points | 2 points |
| 3rd place in groups | 2 points | 1 point |
| 4th place in groups | 1 point | 0.5 point |
The points are multiplied by a coefficient according to the year as follows:
- 2017 – 5
- 2016 – 4
- 2015 – 3
- 2014 – 2
- 2013 – 1
Teams
editThe following 57 teams from 46 associations entered the competition.
- For this season, the title holders (in bold italics) receive a bye to the group stage.[8]
- Four teams (in bold) received a bye to the first round.
- The other 52 teams entered the preliminary round.
Associations are shown according to their 2013–2017 CAF 5-year ranking – those with a ranking score have their rank and score indicated.[9]
- Notes
- ^ Malawi (MWI): Malawi were represented by Nyasa Big Bullets, the 2017 Malawi Premier Division runners-up, as the 2018 Malawi Premier Division was not finished in time for the 2018–19 CAF competitions (Be Forward Wanderers, the 2017 Malawi Premier Division champions, chose not to enter).[10]
- ^ Mali (MLI): Mali were represented by Stade Malien, the 2018 Malian Cup winners, as the Malian Première Division was not played in 2018.[11]
- ^ Mozambique (MOZ): Mozambique were represented by UD Songo, the 2017 Moçambola champions, as the 2018 Moçambola was not finished in time for the 2018–19 CAF competitions (other teams chose not to enter despite Mozambique eligible for two entrants).[12]
- ^ Nigeria (NGA): Nigeria were represented by Lobi Stars, the 2018 Nigeria Professional Football League leaders after 24 rounds when the league was deemed concluded, following a decision by the Nigeria Professional Football League.[13]
- ^ Seychelles (SEY): Seychelles were represented by Light Stars, the 2018 Seychelles League Cup winners, as the 2018 Seychelles First Division was not finished in time for the 2018–19 CAF competitions.[14]
- ^ Zimbabwe (ZIM): Zimbabwe were represented by FC Platinum, the 2017 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League champions, as the 2018 Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League was not finished in time for the 2018–19 CAF competitions.[15]
- Associations which did not enter a team
Benin
Cape Verde
Eritrea
Ghana (22nd – 4 pts)
Guinea-Bissau
Mauritius
Réunion
São Tomé and Príncipe
Sierra Leone (suspended by FIFA)[16]
Somalia
Copperbelt Province teams
Omdurman teams
Schedule
editThe schedule of the competition was as follows (matches scheduled in midweek in italics).[8] Effective from the Champions League group stage, weekend matches were played on Fridays and Saturdays while midweek matches were played on Tuesdays, with some exceptions. Kick-off times were also fixed at 13:00 (Saturdays and Tuesdays only), 16:00 and 19:00 GMT.[17]
| Phase | Round | Draw date | First leg | Second leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qualifying | Preliminary round | 3 November 2018 (Rabat, Morocco)[18] |
27–28 November 2018 | 4–5 December 2018 |
| First round | 14–16 December 2018 | 21–23 December 2018 | ||
| Group stage | Matchday 1 | 28 December 2018 (Cairo, Egypt)[19] |
11–12 January 2019 | |
| Matchday 2 | 18–19 January 2019 | |||
| Matchday 3 | 1–2 February 2019 | |||
| Matchday 4 | 12 February 2019 | |||
| Matchday 5 | 8–9 March 2019 | |||
| Matchday 6 | 15–16 March 2019 | |||
| Knockout stage | Quarter-finals | 20 March 2019 (Cairo, Egypt)[20] |
5–6 April 2019 | 12–13 April 2019 |
| Semi-finals | 26–27 April 2019 | 3–4 May 2019 | ||
| Final | 24–25 May 2019 | 31 May – 1 June 2019 | ||
Qualifying rounds
editThe draw for the preliminary round and first round was held on 3 November 2018 in Rabat, Morocco, and was officially announced by the CAF on 9 November due to a special situation with the transitional calendar.[21][22][23]
In the qualifying rounds, each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score was tied after the second leg, the away goals rule would be applied, and if still tied, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations III. 13 & 14).[4]
Preliminary round
editFirst round
editThe 15 winners of the first round advanced to the group stage to join Espérance de Tunis, who received a bye to the group stage as the title holders, while the 15 losers of the first round entered the Confederation Cup play-off round.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wydad AC |
3–3 (a) | 2–0 | 1–3 | |
| JS Saoura |
2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |
| Ismaily |
3–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | |
| TP Mazembe |
2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| Orlando Pirates |
1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Al-Ahly Benghazi |
0–4 | 0–0 | 0–4 | |
| Gor Mahia |
3–3 (a) | 3–1 | 0–2 | |
| Nkana |
3–4 | 2–1 | 1–3 | |
| Al-Ahly |
2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |
| CS Constantine |
3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| Stade Malien |
0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |
| AS Vita Club |
5–2 | 4–1 | 1–1 | |
| Club Africain |
3–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | |
| Al-Nasr |
5–6 | 3–0 | 2–6 | |
| AS Otohô |
1–1 (a) | 1–1 | 0–0 |
Group stage
editThe draw for the group stage was held on 28 December 2018, 19:00 CAT (UTC+2), at the Nile Ritz-Carlton in Cairo, Egypt.[24][25] The 16 teams, including the title holders, Espérance de Tunis, and the 15 winners of the first round of qualifying, were drawn into four groups of four.[26]
The teams were seeded by their performances in the CAF competitions for the previous five seasons (CAF 5-year ranking points shown in parentheses). Each group contained one team from each of Pot 1, Pot 2, Pot 3, and Pot 4, and each team was drawn into one of the positions in their group.
| Pot | Pot 1 | Pot 2 | Pot 3 | Pot 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teams |
|
|
|
In the group stage, each group was played on a home-and-away round-robin basis. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the quarter-finals of the knockout stage.
| Tiebreakers |
|---|
The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, tiebreakers were applied in the following order (Regulations III. 20 & 21):[4]
|
Group A
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | WAC | MSD | LOB | ASE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10[a] | Quarter-finals | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–2 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 10[a] | 2–1 | — | 3–0 | 3–1 | |||
| 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 7[b] | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | |||
| 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | −4 | 7[b] | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — |
Notes:
Group B
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | EST | HOR | ORL | PLA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 14 | Quarter-finals | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 10 | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | |||
| 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0–0 | 3–0 | — | 2–2 | |||
| 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | — |
Group C
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | TPM | CSC | CA | ISM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 11 | Quarter-finals | — | 2–0 | 8–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 | 10[a] | 3–0 | — | 0–1 | 3–2 | |||
| 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 10[a] | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | |||
| 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 11 | −7 | 2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 (awd.)[c] | — |
Notes:
- ^ a b Goal difference in all group matches: CS Constantine +2, Club Africain –4.
- ^ The CAF announced on 23 January 2019 that Ismaily were disqualified for aggressive fans behaviors, including consistently throwing rocks and water bottles on the assistant referee and the away fans, and other incidents at their home match against Club Africain on 18 January 2019.[27][28] All results of matches played by Ismaily were annulled and not taken into consideration according to the regulations. However, following an appeal by Ismaily, the CAF decided on 10 February 2019 to reinstate Ismaily to the competition.[29]
- ^ On 19 February 2019, following the suspension of the match involving Ismaily and Club Africain due to the aggressive behaviors Ismaily fans shown during the match, CAF decided to consider the match forfeited by Ismaily with a result of 3–0 in favour of Club Africain.[30] The match was originally suspended on the 83rd minute with the score 1–2 for Club Africain.
Group D
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | AHL | SIM | JSS | VIT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 10 | Quarter-finals | — | 5–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 9 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 2–1 | |||
| 3 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 8 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | |||
| 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 7 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2–2 | — |
Knockout stage
editEach tie in the knockout phase was played over two legs, with each team playing one leg at home. The team that scored more goals on aggregate over the two legs advanced to the next round. If the aggregate score was level, the away goals rule was applied, i.e. the team that scored more goals away from home over the two legs advanced. If away goals were also equal, then extra time was not played and the winners were decided by a penalty shoot-out (Regulations III. 26 & 27).[4]
Bracket
editThe bracket was decided after the draw for the knockout stage (quarter-finals and semi-finals), which was held on 20 March 2019, 20:00 CAT (UTC+2), at the Marriot Hotel in Cairo, Egypt.[31][32]
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | abd. | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | abd. | awd. | |||||||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||||||||
| 3 | 3 | 6 | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| 0 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
editIn the quarter-finals, the winners of one group played the runners-up of another group (teams from same group could not play each other), with the group winners hosting the second leg, and the matchups decided by draw.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS Constantine |
3–6 | 2–3 | 1–3 | |
| Mamelodi Sundowns |
5–1 | 5–0 | 0–1 | |
| Horoya |
0–5 | 0–0 | 0–5 | |
| Simba |
1–4 | 0–0 | 1–4 |
Semi-finals
editIn the semi-finals, the four quarter-final winners played in two ties, with the matchups and order of legs decided by draw.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wydad AC |
2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | |
| Espérance de Tunis |
1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
Final
editIn the final, the two semi-final winners play each other, with the order of legs determined by the semi-final draw.
| Wydad AC | 1–1 | |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
| Espérance de Tunis | Abandoned at the result 1–0[note 1] | |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Espérance de Tunis were declared champions after second leg was abandoned.
Top goalscorers
edit| Rank | Player | Team | MD1 | MD2 | MD3 | MD4 | MD5 | MD6 | QF1 | QF2 | SF1 | SF2 | F1 | F2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | ||||||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ With the score 1–0 in favor of Espérance de Tunis in the 59th minute, Walid El Karti scored a goal for Wydad AC which was subsequently ruled offside by the linesman. Due to a failure of the video assistant referee system, a review of the decision could not be conducted. Believing the goal was valid, Wydad AC protested the decision and the match was interrupted. After 80 minutes of stoppage, the referee ruled the match as a forfeit by Wydad AC and awarded to Espérance de Tunis, securing them the CAF Champions League title.[33] However, on 5 June 2019 the CAF Executive Committee ordered a replay of the second leg at a neutral venue, requiring Espérance de Tunis to return the trophy and medals.[34] However, the decision to order a replay of the second leg was thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on 31 July 2019, who required CAF to refer the case to its proper disciplinary structures for a decision.[35] On 7 August 2019, Espérance de Tunis were again officially declared champions after the CAF Disciplinary Board ruled that Wydad AC "is considered to have lost the game in the 2nd leg."[36] On 18 September 2020, CAS dismissed Wydad AC's appeal over the final and confirmed Espérance de Tunis as champions.[37]
References
edit- ^ "Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football". CAF. 21 July 2016.
- ^ "DECISIONS OF CAF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – 20 JULY 2017". CAF. 20 July 2017.
- ^ "Change in dates for Caf club competitions will begin in 2018". BBC Sport. 13 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF.
- ^ "16 Clubs for Group Phase of CC and CL effective 2017". CAF. 11 May 2016.
- ^ "New adopted format for Club Competitions". CAF. 30 May 2016.
- ^ "CAF disowns club ranking published by some websites". Cafonline.com. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2011.
- ^ a b "Interclubs competition calendar; seasons 2018/19, 2019/20 & 2020/21" (PDF). CAF.
- ^ "Libya gain but Nigeria lose a place in Africa's continental club competitions". BBC Sport. 30 October 2018.
- ^ "Silver, Bullets in CAF tourneys". Malawi Nation. 14 September 2018.
- ^ "Les différents représentants connus dans quelques jours". footmali.com. 27 September 2018.
- ^ "FMF ainda sem resposta das equipas que vão acompanhar a UD Songo nas Afrotaças". opais.sapo.mz. 11 September 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ "League Management Company Public Statement After Consultative Meeting With Club Owners & Representatives". NPFL. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ^ "Northern Dynamo's, LightStars' opponents known". nation.sc. 10 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 November 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ "FC Platinum agree to Champions League action". Zimbabwe Chronicle. 15 August 2018.
- ^ "FIFA suspends the Sierra Leone Football Association". FIFA.com. 5 October 2018. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018.
- ^ "Friday & Saturday for Champions League, Sunday for Confederation Cup". CAF. 17 April 2018.
- ^ @CAF_Online (1 November 2018). "The draw for the preliminary rounds of the 2018/2019 @CAF_Online Interclubs will be held on Saturday, 03.11.2018 in Rabat, Morocco, during the meeting of the Ad hoc Committee of the CAF Interclubs" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Accreditation for Official draw 2018/19 Total CAF Champions League Group Stage & Total CAF Confederation Cup 2nd 1/16th round". CAF. 20 December 2018.
- ^ "Accreditation for Interclubs Quarter Finals". CAF. 7 March 2019.
- ^ "Interclubs season 2018-2019". CAF. 4 November 2018.
- ^ "Result of the drawing of lots of TOTAL CAF Champions League as well as TOTAL CAF Confederation Cup". CAF. 9 November 2018.
- ^ "Fixtures of the 23rd Edition of Total CAF Champions League" (PDF). CAF.
- ^ "Draw Procedure for CAF Interclubs 2018/19". CAF. 28 December 2018.
- ^ "African champs Esperance draw Horoya, Pirates, Platinum". CAF. 28 December 2018.
- ^ "Draw Procedure of CAF Total Champions League 2018/19 - Group Matches" (PDF). CAF.
- ^ @CAF_Online (23 January 2019). "ANNOUNCEMENT..Organizing committee descision [sic]: Ismaily SC eliminated from #TotalCAFCL 2019" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Ismaily disqualified". CAF. 24 January 2019.
- ^ "DECISIONS OF THE APPEAL BOARD OF 10th FEBRUARY 2019" (PDF). CAF. 10 February 2019.
- ^ "DECISIONS OF THE DISCIPLINARY BOARD OF 17TH FEBRUARY 2019" (PDF). CAF. 17 February 2019.
- ^ "Moteab and Mboma to conduct Interclubs quarterfinals draw". CAF. 20 March 2019.
- ^ "Last eight teams know their opponents". CAF. 20 March 2019.
- ^ "ES Tunis crowned CAF Champions in shambolic circumstances". AS.com. 1 June 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
- ^ "Caf Champions League: Esperance ordered to return medals and face Wydad Casablanca again". BBC Sport. 5 June 2019.
- ^ "Le Tribunal Arbitral du Sport (TAS) annule la décision du Comité Exécutif de la CAF" [The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) cancels the decision of the CAF Executive Committee] (PDF) (in French). Court of Arbitration for Sport. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ "Decisions of the Disciplinary Board 7th of August 2019". CAF. 7 August 2019.
- ^ "CAS dismisses the appeal of Wydad Athletic Club" (PDF). Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). 18 September 2020.
External links
edit- Total CAF Champions League 2018/2019, CAFonline.com