African Football League: Enyimba draw Wydad, Al-Ahly draw Simba
Nigerian giants Enyimba have been pitted against Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca in the quarterfinals of the inaugural CAF African Football League set to commence next month.
Enyimba were approved as one of the sides to participate in the inaugural edition of the tournament, Africa’s answer to the botched European Super League idea. With the tournament set to feature only eight teams this year, the two-time CAF Champions League winners will be one of the participants.
The NPFL champions were drawn against Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca, three-time CAF Champions League winners. They will play the first leg on October 20th in Uyo before proceeding to Morocco to face the Red Devils in the second leg. Both sides have met twice in the past, with the North Africans winning once and the other match ending in a draw.
The winner of the tie between Enyimba and Wydad will face one of Esperance or TP Mazembe in the semifinals. There is a $700,000 appearance fee attached to the competition for each team, with a $11 million prize money included for whoever emerges as the champions.
In the other games, Egyptian giants Al-Ahly will face Tanzanian side Simba SC and Mamelodi Sundowns will face Petroleos de Luanda. The winners of each tie will face each other in the semifinals of the competition. The opening match of the African Football League will take place in Dar-es-Salaam on October 20th.