“Tunisian Esperance Dealt Heavy Blow as CAF Imposes Strong Sanctions”

Esperance managed to qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League, to face Al-Ahly club in the first leg at its stadium in Rades on May 12th.

Harsh penalties

• “CAF” issued an official statement announcing that Esperance Club would play without an audience for 4 matches, with a suspension of execution for only two matches within 12 months, due to violations of the regulations that occurred in the team’s match against Algeria’s JS Kabylie in the second leg of the quarter-finals.
• The African Union imposed a severe financial penalty on Esperance, by forcing it to pay a fine of $300,000.
• The “CAF” penalties did not stop there, as Esperance was officially threatened with exclusion from the competition permanently if the same events for which it was punished were repeated in its stands during the next matches.

The critic specialized in African football, Hadi Al-Madani, said in statements to “Sky News Arabia” that the “CAF” penalties were a repetition of what was signed on Esperance when he committed violations against Al-Ahly in 2021.

Al-Madani added, “The only difference that occurred between the penalties of 2021 and 2023 for Esperance, is the heavy financial fine, and the threat of complete exclusion if the matter is repeated.”

Tough challenge

Esperance played a wonderful career in the African Champions League during the current season and succeeded in reaching the golden square before colliding with Al-Ahly, the historical champion of the competition, but the “CAF” decision made it lose its most important weapon in the last two matches at home.

The Tunisian team will play against Al-Ahly club at home in Rades, without fans, in the first leg of the African semi-finals, and in the event that it rises to the final match, it will also play it without fans, to end the competition behind closed doors in sadness enveloped in the silence of the stands.

Regarding the impact of the “CAF” decision on Esperance, Al-Madani said: “Esperance has lost the very important support of the fans, but once the match begins, each team will look for a way to excel inside the field away from the influence of the stands. The Tunisian team has a great history that gives it confidence, as is the case for the club.” Al-Ahly.

Al-Madani continued: “Esperance had previously lost in its stadium in the presence of the full capacity of the public, and it also succeeded in achieving positive results in front of the Al-Ahly club in Egypt with a large audience, which confirms that the stadium is the most important factor in the decision, not just the stands.”

Esperance is awaiting a positive result against Al-Ahly in the semi-finals, to face the winner of the Moroccan Wydad and South African Sundowns teams in the final match in order to achieve the Champions League title and obtain a qualification card for the Club World Cup.