Africa-Press – Senegal. The Senegalese team of Génération Foot will face Hafia FC, Sunday in Conakry, for their third participation in the Champions League of the Confederation of African Football, with the hope of doing better than in the editions of 2018 and 2020.
The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. GMT, at the General Lansana Conté stadium.
Reigning champion of Senegal, the Senegalese club was eliminated in the round of 16 during its first participation in this competition in 2018. For its second participation in this competition in 2020, it was knocked out in the first round.
In case of victory, the Déni Birame Ndao club will be opposed in the second round to Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco, unfortunate finalist of the last edition.
L’Espoir de Saint-Louis, now La Linguère de Saint-Louis, is the first Senegalese team to have represented Senegal in the Champions League of the Confederation of African Football, during the first edition organized in 1965 and won by Stade Malian.
La Linguère de Saint-Louis was born in 1969 from the merger between Espoir de Saint-Louis and AS Saint-Louisienne, representing Senegal in the 1967 edition.
Until 1996, the competition was called the African Champion Clubs’ Cup. It was in 1997 that it took the name of the CAF Champions League.
US Gorée, forfeited, missed the 1966 edition. Jaraaf, which at the time was called Foyer de France, was the fourth Senegalese team to take part in these continental games in 1968. It is also the team that has taken part in this tournament the most with fourteen participations, the last of which was in 2019. It was then eliminated in the first round by Horoya of Guinea (4-1, aggregate score).
Absent from the competition in 1969, Senegal will return to the African scene during the following edition (1970), with ASC Jeanne d’Arc. But the Dakar club was eliminated in the first round by AS Kaloum Star of Guinea, 4-2 (aggregate score).
The 1978, 1982, 1994 and 1995 editions were held without the participation of Senegalese clubs which have never won the competition. The best result obtained by a Senegalese is also a place in the semi-finals.
Dakar’s Jeanne d’Arc, with nine participations since 1979, is the first team to reach this level in 1974. It was eliminated (1-4, aggregate score) by the winner of this edition, Cara Brazzaville. Other clubs will then follow, such as US Gorée in 1979 and 1985 and Jaraaf in 1983.
ASFA (1972, 1973, 1975), US Gorée (1979, 1985, 2017), AS Pikine (1980, 2015) and SEIB Diourbel (1981,1984, 1988), now SONACOS, are among the ten first teams to represent Senegal in the CAF Champions League.
Teungueth FC is the last team to have represented Senegal in the CAF Champions League, in 2021 and 2022. The Rufisquois were released in the group stages, during their first participation and from the preliminary round, the following year.
For this season, 54 clubs from 42 member associations are involved in the CAF Champions League.
Egyptian club Al Ahly is the Champions League title holder. He is also the most successful with eleven trophies.
Pour plus d’informations et d’analyses sur la Senegal, suivez Africa-Press
