Sadiki warns Makepekepe
By Paul Mundandi
Ali Sadiki has warned Zimbabwean champions Caps United that they must work harder if they are to get a positive result against African giants TP Mazembe in their backyard in Lubumbashi next weekend.
Makepekepe are due to travel to the DRC for the first leg of the CAF Champions League final qualifier in Lubumbashi with the return leg coming in Harare just a week later.
Caps United, who last played in the tournament 11 years ago, have set a target of reaching the group stage on their return to the continental inter-club football showpiece.
Makepekepe beat Lioli of Lesotho two weeks ago in the preliminary round and now have to clear the last hurdle posed by the Congolese giants to realise their dream.
TP Mazembe seldom lose Champions League or Confederations Cup matches at home.
However, last season was difficult for the expensively-assembled outfit who failed to make an impression in the Champions League and dropped to the second-tier CAF Confederation Cup which they eventually won.
The former African champions recently appointed Frenchman Roger Thierry to take charge of the side.
The team has never lost a match at home since 2014 but some say the prolonged absence of the club owner Moise Katumbi has changed things at TP Mazembe.
A number of key players have since left citing poor working conditions.
Sadiki, who has been on the books of the Congolese side since 2014, urged his Zimbabwean counterparts to work harder if they are to compete against his side.
“It’s true that Katumbi is not around but TP Mazembe are a big team with very big players and it is still the same team. It’s a great team with some of the best players.
“All of them are good, from the goalkeeper to the top man himself, Tresor (Mputu).
“TP Mazembe are the best team in Africa and they don’t lose at home and Caps United need to be at their best, they have to work hard if they are going to come out of Lubumbashi unscathed,” said Sadiki.
Nicknamed Les Corbeaux (the Ravens), TP Mazembe are home to a number of foreign players who include Solom Asante (Ghana), Salif Koulibaly (Mali), Adama Traore (Mali), Daniel Adje (Ghana), Rainford Kalaba, Nathan Sinkala, Kabasa Chongo and Given Singuluma (all from Zambia), Christian Koffie (Ghana) and Sylvain Gbohou from Cote d’Ivoire.
Caps United might be the underdogs but they have the experienced Hardlife Zvirekwi, Dennis Dauda, Ronald Pfumbidzai, Abbas Amidu, Joel Ngodzo and Devon Chafa who can help them stand their ground against the Congolese.
The 16 winners of the first round will advance to the group stage, while the 16 losers of the first round enter the Confederation Cup play-off round.
Caps United have never reached the group stages of the CAF Champions League after three attempts in 1997, 2005 and 2006.
Their best run came with qualification into the second round on two occasions.
In the event Caps United qualify into the group stage, they are guaranteed to pocket $550 000 set aside for the bottom teams in the group competitions.
The amount could be twice what Caps United, who have a montly salary bill of about $30 000, need for the salaries of their players this year.
New sponsors Orange also upped the earnings for quarte-rfinalists to $650 000 and $875 000 for the semi-finalists while the runner-ups will take home $1 250 000, which is 25% better than the $1 million they were getting previously. The Chronicle
