The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has received no official complaints from Esperance or Al-Suwaihli over the incidents that followed their African Champions League meeting in Misrata, according to sources within the governing body.
Libyan side Al-Suwaihli secured a 1-0 victory over Tunisia’s Esperance in the first leg of their second preliminary-round tie earlier this week, but events after the final whistle attracted attention, particularly reports of supporters entering the pitch.
However, sources told winwin that CAF had received no formal correspondence from either club concerning the incidents. The match observer, Algerian official Jamil Ould Ammar, also did not include the reported events in his report.
The absence of official complaints means the governing body’s disciplinary proceedings are not expected to address the wider incidents at a meeting scheduled for Thursday. The only anticipated decision relating to the match concerns the red card shown to Esperance forward Youcef Belaïli.
Congolese referee Jean-Pierre N’Gian sent off the Algerian international after the final whistle, leaving Esperance without one of its key attacking players for the return leg in Rades.
Belaïli’s availability for the decisive encounter will depend on the disciplinary decision and the punishment imposed following his dismissal.
No formal protest from Esperance
Reports had suggested that Esperance were considering submitting a complaint to CAF over the events surrounding their defeat in Libya, with the alleged invasion of the pitch by supporters after the final whistle among the main concerns.
Despite those reports, sources within CAF said no official communication had been received from either club at the time of writing.
The situation means the governing body’s disciplinary committee is not expected to issue additional sanctions over the reported post-match incidents during its Thursday meeting, which is due to take place by video conference.
The committee is instead expected to confirm the disciplinary punishment relating to Belaïli’s dismissal, based on the referee’s account of the incident.
The lack of an official complaint does not change the result of the first leg, leaving Esperance with a difficult task when the two teams meet again in Tunisia.
Moroccan officials appointed for return leg
CAF has appointed a Moroccan refereeing team to oversee the second leg, which is scheduled to take place at the Hammadi Agrebi Stadium in Rades on Saturday, 24 October.
Jalal Jid will serve as the referee, assisted by compatriots Zakaria Bernissi and Mustafa Akrakad. Mohamed Baroudi has been named as the fourth official, while Mauritanian Massa Diarra will act as match supervisor.
The appointment comes ahead of a decisive encounter in which Esperance must overturn their first-leg deficit to remain in the competition.
The Tunisian side will need to win by two goals to secure qualification without the need for a penalty shootout. A one-goal victory would take the tie to penalties under the competition’s regulations.
Al-Suwaihli, meanwhile, will progress to the next round if they avoid defeat in Rades, having secured a narrow advantage on home soil.
The Libyan club’s first-leg victory has put them in a strong position, but Esperance will have the opportunity to respond in front of their home supporters as both sides compete for a place in the next stage of the African Champions League.
