Nigeria’s representatives at this season’s Confederation of African Football (CAF) Confederation Cup, Enyimba International of Aba, will face the Senegalese side, Diambers FC in the second preliminary round of the competition.
Diambers qualified to compete against the People’s Elephant of Aba after they successfully eliminated Wakriya AC, their Guinean opposition, in the first round of the continental football competition on Sunday.
In a fixture played at the Stade Lat Dior in Thiès, Senegal, Diambers breached the defences of Wakriya three times in the second half to knock them out and progress in their stead, in the unusual situation of a one-leg only qualifier.
The tumultuous political situation in Guinea caused CAF to determine that all matches involving Guinea’s three representatives in the first preliminary round of the Interclub Competitions would be decided over a single leg in their opponent’s country.
It meant the 3-0 loss of Wakriya AC sealed their fate because they have no chance for a reverse fixture to give their qualification chances another shot and Sunday’s victory gives Diambers a date with Enyimba in the next round.
As a football club, Diambers, which was co-founded in 2003 by football great, Patrick Vieira, is making its debut in the Confederation Cup. However, this will not be its first participation in the Champions League as Diambers featured in the 2014 edition.
That previous experience in a CAF-organised Interclub competition makes Diambers considerable opponents for the two-time continental champions of Aba.
For the first leg of this second preliminary round, Enyimba will be on the road. The fixture will take place between October 15-17 with the Nigerian side at home the following week.
