Johannesburg – It is a sad indictment of the African Champions League and the Confederation of African Football (Caf) that the most surprising factor amid the chaos in Lubumbashi this weekend was the result.
Orlando Pirates knocked TP Mazembe out of allegedly Africa’s most prestigious club competition, but exactly how they did it beggared belief, as information about the shenanigans taking place in the DR Congo leaked into South Africa on Sunday afternoon, via Orlando Pirates’ official Twitter feed, and via Thomas Mlambo at the SABC.
Mlambo was forced to carry a two-hour show because the SABC were denied the chance to show the game to South Africa by Mazembe, who kicked their television crew out of the ground. And as the game progressed, it became easy to see why.
In the first half, Pirates captain Lucky Lekgwathi was sent off by Seychelles referee Bernard Camille. After the break, Mazembe were awarded two penalties by Camille.
Senzo Meyiwa saved both penalties and, by all accounts, could have been forgiven for walking up to Camille at the final whistle and giving him a middle-finger salute. Pirates somehow went through 3-2 on aggregate and are in the group stages for the first time since 2006.
Pirates coach Roger De Sa was fuming about the officiating on his return to the country, but because of the television blackout, we cannot definitively judge for ourselves. All we can do is glance between the lines, and the lines stink to high heaven.
Why would Mazembe, having promised the SABC they could televise the game, then suddenly deny them the right if they were not up to something? One problem seems to lie in Caf’s rules which, for a fee, cede the broadcasting rights to the host association during the Champions League qualifying rounds.
In the group stages, Caf, or at least their broadcast partner SportFive, directly control television broadcasts, which should prevent further shenanigans. And yet even in qualifying, surely Caf should step in and at the very least ensure pictures are sent to both countries represented in any given match? Otherwise they are simply shirking fair play.
It is easy to criticise the performances of our sides in continental competition over the years, but if this is how they are treated, then one can only sympathise with their plight.
Given the circumstances of their trip to Lubumbashi, Pirates should really be out of the Champions League.
By an incredible twist of fate, or by Meyiwa’s goalkeeping genius, they are not – but that should not turn us away from the stench coming out of Lubumbashi. – The Star