adminreigning African champions Esperance of Tunisia in the second round.
According to the draw conducted at the Caf headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, on Saturday, the two giants were among the 13 teams that got byes for the preliminary round but they could meet in the decisive round before the lucrative mini-league phase, if they prevail against their first round opponents.
DeMbare and Esperance were given byes in the preliminary round on the basis of their ranking in the continent’s premier club competition.
Esperance are the number one ranked team in Africa while DeMbare just managed to hold their place in the top 13 despite a disappointing outing in the competition early this year. The Glamour Boys will relaunch their campaign in the first round next year against the winners of the match between FC Mafunzo of Zanzibar and Mozambique’s Maculmana who clash in the preliminary round.
DeMbare assistant coach Tonderai Ndiraya immediately reacted to the draw and said they were not expecting an easy stroll in the park.
The Glamour Boys’ secretary-general Nyika Chifamba concurred yesterday but said they are not intimidated by the prospect of facing Esperance in April, should they make it to the second round.
“It looks like a tough draw (for us) but that is what the Champions League is all about. You are supposed to play against the best on the continent because that is the standard of the tournament,” said Chifamba.
“If given a choice, we would have preferred other opponents who are not the defending champions before the group stage but as things stand we have to contend with what we have been given.
“Of course, Esperance are a big threat but we have been in such a situation before. It’s always difficult playing against holders of the cup because of the huge interest surrounding the game but remember that in 2008 we were paired with Etoile du Sahel and we eliminated them on our way to the semi-finals.
“So it doesn’t matter who we face but we have to keep focused from the first round because we cannot underrate any of our opponents,” said Chifamba.
Esperance are two time winners of the Champions League. They won the competition in 1994 when it was called the African Champions Cup and have finished runners-up three times including last year when they lost 6-1 overall to Democratic Republic of Congo’s TP Mazembe.
Dynamos had a disappointing outing in the tournament this year when they bowed out in the first round after losing to MC Alger of Algeria on away goals rule.
The teams drew 4-4 on aggregate but the Algerians benefited from the solitary strike they scored from the spot in their 4-1 defeat at Rufaro before dispatching the Harare giants 3-0 in the reverse leg.
But Chifamba yesterday said they are looking forward to make an impression this year to erase the bad memories. DeMbare are set to begin their preparations early next month.
“The coach has already given us his programme and we are working on it. In fact, we will have a meeting with him tomorrow (today) to chart the best possible plan now that the draw is out,” said Chifamba.
Dynamos are set to unveil their squad for 2012 at their end-of-the-year awards ceremony on Wednesday night.
Motor Action and Hwange will play in the Confederation Cup and will begin in the preliminary round over the weekend of February 17-19. The return matches will be played two weeks later.
The Mighty Bulls, who had Champions League experience early this year, will face South Africa’s Black Leopards in their opening match and another date against St. Eloi Lupopo of the DRC will be waiting for them if they win.
Hwange will kick-off their campaign against Jamuri of Zanzibar away in the East African archipelago, off the coast of Tanzania.
Champions League draw
Preliminary Round (17-19 Feb / 2-4 Mar 2012)
Green Mambas v FC Platinum
First Round (23-25 Mar / 6-8 Apr 2012)
Mafunzo v Dynamos
FC Platinum/Green Mambas v El Merrikh
Confederation Cup
Preliminary Round (17-19 Feb / 2-4 Mar 2012)
Jamuri v Hwange
Black Leopards v Motor Action
First Round (23-25 Mar, 2012 / 6-8 Apr 2012)
Motor Action/Black Leopards v St. Eloi Lupopo
Hwange/Jamuri v El Amal Otbara
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