African football aligns its calendar but has nowhere to play

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The 2019 African Champions League has already begun, just a fortnight after Esperance won the 2018 edition. The 2019 tournament will also be squeezed into six months, with a May final, so that from then on African football will align its calendar to the European one.

Where this will be noticed most is in next year's Cup of Nations, which will be played in June/July instead of its usual window in Jan/Feb. This will mean the top African stars not having to leave European clubs during the season (good news for Liverpool among others). However, the very existence of that event has been thrown into doubt today as the CAF announced that Cameroon are no longer going to be allowed to host it, after concerns about preparedness. At short notice, South Africa might be the only country who can step in - Morocco may bid, but the CAF are still upset with them for pulling out of hosting 2015. If South Africa decline (and they haven't qualified yet) there must be a chance the finals won't take place after all.

[Sporting]

They could always move the whole tournament to the Bernabeu.

[Patrick Thistle]

Bring it to the UK. That would be great.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

They've announced Egypt as hosts. Probably worth a few quid on them to win it on that basis.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

The truncated 2018-19 Champions League has reached the quarter-final stage, with the continent's Real Madrid, Al-Ahly, up against Mamelodi Sundowns in the round's biggest tie. Many of the usual suspects - Esperance from Tunis, Wydad Casablanca, and TP Mazembe from Lubumbashi, are there too, as are Horoya Conakry, Simba from Dar-es-Salaam and newcomers CS Constantine from Algeria. Constantine are in their first Champions League and came through an interesting group marred by Al-Ismaily's expulsion for their fans throwing rocks at a linesman in their match against Club Africain de Tunis.

Sundowns' route to the last eight began with the defeat of Equatorial Guinea's champions, the Vegetarian Lions.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

https://youtu.be/y8zwPYa_Fb8

Mamelodi Sundowns absolutely tore Al-Ahly to pieces in their quarter final first leg 5-0, the Egyptians' heaviest ever defeat in continental football. And as the brief highlights show, it could easily have been worse.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

https://youtu.be/APhqDPutwEI

Some good goalmouth action in last night's final first leg (played in Rabat) including the ref disallowing a goal to the 'home' side, Wydad Casablanca, on VAR that could prove crucial over the two legs.Nice touch that the fans appear to be tryng to blind him with laser pens while he's watching the monitor.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

https://youtu.be/Ub4BXB_p4LA

Well that's a first. Wydad Casablanca REFUSED TO PLAY ON after their (perfectly good) disallowed equaliser was not overturned by the inept referee due to VAR failing. Said ref gave them an hour to stop sulking then awarded the trophy to Esperance!

[Jah Womble]

That is bizarre. If VAR isn't working, is that not the equivalent of having insufficient numbers to officiate the game? Surely then the match has to be abandoned?

[ursus arctos]

That would assume that the CAF are competent, which is very much not the case. Reports are that they knew that the VAR setup wasn't working from the off, but decided to wing it rather than risk the ire of the crowd and television companies.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Well now then.

[ursus arctos]

[URL="https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1136333682468368384?s=21"]https://twitter.com/tariqpanja/status/1136333682468368384[/URL]

That whole thread from Panja, who was on the scene in Paris, is wild.