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CAF Challenges Rangers’ Confederations Cup Claims
•We won’t protest but ‘petition’ CAF – Owumi By Tunde Sulaiman, 11.18.2004
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rejected claims by aggrieved officials of Rangers International that they were not aware of the head-to-head rule, which knocked them out of the newly introduced Confederations Cup. Rangers and Kotoko finished with ten points each from six matches in Group A of the Confederation Cup but CAF announced the Ghanaians as the team to play in the cup final having posted a better result against the Flying Eagles when the two teams clashed. Rangers officials immediately cried foul claiming that they were not aware of the head-to-head rule and should be the one playing in the final, which first leg comes up on December 5th because they had a better goals advantage. But responding promptly to a THISDAYSports inquiry over the contentious issue, CAF insisted that they had called a meeting of all the clubs taking part in the competition as far back as June where they were intimated of the rules and regulations governing the contest. According to the Federation’s Director of Communication Mr. Suleimano Habuba even officials of the now protesting Rangers were present in Cairo for the symposium. "In June we invited all the qualified team officials to attend a symposium on all aspects related to the competition. Rangers’ team officials attended. We reminded the club officials, in side a document titled ‘CAF Symposium’, of the qualification details," he wrote in responding to our email inquiry. The Nigerian-born CAF official said we could check his claims with officials of the Coal City side. He also cited pages six and seven of the Inter Clubs Regulations to further buttress his point. However, Mr. Davidson Owunmi, Rangers General Manager, in clarifying the situation said they would not be formally protesting but had written a ‘petition’ seeking to know why CAF took the action it did. "We will not be protesting others may do it on our behalf but as a team we won’t be protesting." Why acknowledging that he was at the CAF Symposium in June, the former national team player, however, insisted that at no time was the issue of head-to-head discussed. Although the former Sharks player conceded that Kotoko would be playing in the final he, however, wanted to know why it was Kotoko and not Rangers or Petro Atletico that made it since all three of them finished on 10 points. "What they (CAF) used is ambiguious . The rule says ‘concerned team’ but when three teams all finish with the same points and have beaten each other where does ‘concerned team’ come into play? "I’ve accepted the fact that we’re out but it’s very painful to go out by ‘technicality’. I’m sure that after this CAF will change the rule next year. We’re still in the competition next year and I pray we do much better."
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