Chad: Elec Sport v AS PSI in title decider
Revived after years in the doldrums, the Chadian championship reaches its conclusion this Sunday with a final between Elec Sport and AS PSI
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Who will be crowned champions of Chad? Elec Sport take on AS PSI in the final of the 2023 edition of the national championship, which has been relaunched this season. This Sunday at the Stade de Diguel, the two sides meet to bring down the curtain on a competition revived under the impetus of the Chadian Football Federation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Sport. This edition has featured teams from the 23 provinces of the country, in a tournament revived at the instigation of Naïr Abakar, vice-president of the normalisation committee of the Chadian Football Federation and youth adviser to the African Union.
"Chadian football has lost its original form since 1974. So in July 2022, on behalf of the football family, the normalisation committee expressed the desire to relaunch its national competitions, starting with the championship but also the Chad Cup. Today, we can say it: our dream has become a reality." The final round, this showpiece will decide who is champion of Chad this year. It will be a grand finale watched by distinguished guests. Former Nigerian and Senegalese internationals, and CAF legends Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha and Khalilou Fadiga, will be among the guests present for the occasion. They follow several other names well known to African football fans, such as Samuel Eto'o.
A hint of revenge
It is a chance to put the spotlight on this final and on Chadian football as a whole by bringing in figures from the game. "It is important for us to raise the profile of our football, to improve its image and to show Africa and the world that in Chad, too, we have good players, in Chad, too, we have very good teams, and that is why having great names of African football attend in Chad is a sign that Chadian football is changing and evolving ", says Naïr Abakar, who has also founded "L'école des champions", a programme to uncover tomorrow's talents and support the development of young footballers in the country.
On the pitch, the final promises to be a spectacle, with the feel of a reunion. The two teams have already met, on 14 July, when AS PSI won emphatically, 5-0. It is fair to say that Elec Sport will arrive as a side out for revenge, determined to wipe out that humiliation and lift the trophy.