OPC gives Civil’s CAF plans green light
Civil Sporting Club’s bid to play Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) club tournaments next year has the backing of its sponsor, the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC).
Deputy Secretary responsible for administration Rashid Mtelera said OPC has challenged the club to qualify for either CAF Champions League or Confederations Cup.
He said: “We discussed informally that issue and we have challenged the club to do the preparatory work which includes meeting the requirements for entering CAF competitions.”
To qualify for CAF Champions League, Civo must win the Super League title. As for the Confederations Cup, the Civil Servants should win one of the trophies or finish in third.
Civil general secretary Ronald Chiwaula also confirmed getting the go-ahead from the sponsor, adding that they are currently working on the projected budget which will be presented to OPC.
“We will meet OPC representatives possibly next month where we will present a report on our last season’s performance as well as our budget. But it is true that we have been granted permission to pursue the issue,” he said.
Chiwaula expressed optimism that their sponsor will provide funding for their participation.
“The key is to qualify. Once that happens it will be easy to convince the sponsor to fund us. The onus is on the technical panel to ensure the team achieves the CAF requirements,” he said.
Be Forward Wanderers and Masters Security competed in the CAF competitions this year and were eliminated in the preliminary rounds.
Despite their embarrassing exits, some football analysts have been urging clubs to continue competing at continental level as a way of exposing the players.
Recently, Civil’s rival Silver Strikers also unveiled plans to compete in next year’s CAF Champions League.
