CONAKRY- Guineans dreamed of a historic day of football this Saturday, September 30. Three of their clubs out of the four which were on the starting list, had the hope of crossing this second round, which has become, for Guinean football, over the years, the insurmountable wall. In the end, only SOAR Académie was able to satisfy the expectations of these many local round leather fans. Horoya, Hafia and Milo are all eliminated.
And yet, this club was very little expected at this stage of the competition because of its smaller workforce and its cash flow largely fueled only by the sale of muscle. But it was this club from the suburbs of Conakry that saved the honor.
On the road, the Almamy Sylla team was able to secure their qualification at the expense of the Ivorian club AFAD…..with a score of 2-0…
On the other hand, at home, pushed by his audience, against an easy prey, Horoya was unable to raise the bar. Beaten in the first leg with a gap of 2 goals, the comeback for the red-whites of Matam was only wishful thinking, only a utopia. The score of two to one 2-1 was not enough to pass this milestone in front of a Ghanaian club from Medeama which was convinced of the inadequacies of its opponent, whom it feared invulnerable on paper. So, the Guinean favorite in this confrontation could not assume his status. Ocansey Mandela’s teammates then suffered a major setback, which took them away from the level that made their reputation great, as well as that of the entire country.
In Casablanca, the third Guinean representative in African competitions, Hafia FC, did not do better against Wydad either. Moreover, it must be recognized that his qualification in the Casablanca cauldron was a miracle. But on the other hand, his lack of self-confidence, his inefficiency and the indiscipline of some of his players, prove that he still owes him enough to pass this level. The Guinean champion, both on the outward and return legs against Wydad, demonstrated his inexperience in competing in this big league.
Hopefully next year will be better than this year. In the meantime, everyone behind the SOAR academicians to at least guarantee Guinea its enviable position in the CAF ranking index of the best African championships. After qualifying for the group stage of the CAF Cup, SOAR should replenish its coffers with more than 100 thousand dollars which will be paid to it by CAF.
GUINEA FOOT
