CAF Confederation Cup: Dreams FC hold Zamalek, USMA v RS Berkane called off
Zamalek were held by Dreams, while the match between USM Alger and RS Berkane was called off on Sunday.
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In the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup semi-final, Zamalek failed to find their footing at home to Dreams FC on Sunday 21 April. The Egyptian club dominated the whole match without managing to take the lead. Despite 63% possession and 25 shots, Zamalek were wasteful in the Ghanaian side's box. After this goalless draw (0-0), a different performance is needed at Dreams FC's ground, where the Ghanaians have the chance to pull off an upset next week and reach the final of the CAF Confederation Cup.
RS Berkane refuse to play
After a major row over a shirt, the match between USM Alger and RS Berkane has been called off. The Moroccan club had warned that they would only play this CAF Confederation Cup semi-final in their own shirt, and they followed through on that threat. The problem: the shirt carries a map of Morocco that includes Western Sahara. Algeria, however, backs the Polisario, which claims independence for the territory. Despite a special shirt in their dressing room made by the Algerian authorities, RS Berkane went to the stadium and refused to leave the dressing room to play the match, informing the CAF of their stance. It was just minutes before kick-off that beIN Sports journalists announced that the match had been called off.
On the USMA side, the president of the Algerian Football Federation, Walid Sadi, stood his ground and backed the home club. "The match between USMA and Berkane will not be played. We will defend USMA's rights to the end," the president said.
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