Nigeria’s standing representative in the CAF Champions League, Enyimba failed to progress past the preliminary stages on Wednesday, despite a 2-1 defeat of visiting Al Merreikh.
The Sudanese had put Enyimba to the sword in Omdurman, defeating the Nigerian giants 3-0.
Enyimba will come to rue their terrible defensive organisation and profligacy in attack in the first leg, as they battled to overturn the deficit at home.
The People’s Elephants have joined Plateau United who got eliminated by Simba SC of Tanzania in the first round of the preliminaries.
Nigeria, arguably Africa’s biggest football nation has seen its clubs failing on the continent. A very inconsistent league campaign and organisation have caused clubs not preparing as much as their counterparts in other parts of the continent.
Where Nigeria is struggling for presence, South Africa is raving. Premier Soccer League’s two representatives on the continent, Kaizer Chiefs and Mamelodi Sundowns have earned places in the group stages of the Champions League, in what’s the first of its kind for the former.
Amakhosi defeated Angola’s Primeiro D’Agosto 1-0 in Luanda, becoming the first South African team to do so in history.
The biggest shock of the preliminary stages came when Teungueth FC of Senegal defeated Morocco’s Botola Champions, Raja Casablanca to make it to the group stage.
They are joined by other West African teams in Guinea’s Horoya and Ghana’s Asante Kotoko.
Other teams in the Champions League are regular suspects, Al Ahly, Zamalek, TP Mazembe, who are joined by another Congolese side AS Vita, Algeria’s Belouizdad and MC Alger, Wydad Casablanca and others.
Teams have been seeded into different pots ahead of Friday’s draws with last season’s champions, Al Ahly in pot 1. They are joined by TP Mazembe, Wydad Casablanca and Esperance of Tunisia.
Pot 2 comprises Zamalek, Mamelodi Sundowns, Horoya AC, and AS Vita Club. Pot 3 has Simba SC, Asante Kotoko, MC Alger and Al Hilal, while the 4th Pot has Teungueth FC, Kaizer Chiefs, Al Merreikh and Belouizdad.
The CAF Champions League is Africa’s biggest football club cup competition and the prize money for this year’s edition has increased by more than 60%.