Ahly will spice up Confederation Cup, says Hodoud coach

Hatem Maher
2 Min Read

CAIRO: Harras Hodoud coach Tarek Al-Ashri believes Cairo giants Ahly will spice up the CAF Confederation Cup.

Title-holders Ahly surprisingly exited the Champions League at the hands of Nigerian side Kano Pillars in the round of 16.

They will now play in Africa s secondary competition, the Confederation Cup.

Ahly will add zest to the competition, Al-Ashri told Nile Sports after Hodoud eased into the third round with a 6-1 aggregate victory over EGSG of Tunisia.

The existence of three Egyptian clubs (Hodoud, Ahly and ENPPI) will increase the country s chances of winning the title.

Although Egyptian clubs have the lion s share of African triumphs in the Dark Continent, the Confederation Cup is the only title to have evaded them.

This season s edition will witness the participation of some high-profile clubs who failed to get beyond the preliminary rounds in the Champions League.

Ivorian powerhouse ASEC Mimosas and last season s finalists Coton Sport were eliminated after losing to Monomotapa United and Heartland FC respectively.

The Confederation Cup has become more of a Champions League, Al-Ashri added.

Hodoud, who claimed their first title in history after overcoming ENPPI in the Egyptian Cup final earlier this year, are having a season to remember.

They lie third in the Egyptian Premier League table with 49 points and still have a chance of earning a historic place in the Champions League.

The military side are five points behind second-placed Ahly, the team whom they face later this month, with three matches to go.

We have to be realistic. Our priority is to hold onto our third-place position, Al-Ashri commented.

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