Writing about football is as little as being a film critic. Sorry to push the cinema theme but stay with me, I’m on a roll. The best team does not always win, just as the best directors do not always make the best movies; a tournament is often about coming to the boil at the right time, finding the right man to play the starting role, or having the best ensemble cast.
Like a film critic, a football writer reserves the right to disagree with the generally held opinion.
The current Dreams FC side is not the “best”, they’re just better than the mediocre competition, over-rated by a handful of pretentious purists.
In 2004, CAF merged the African Cup Winners Cup with the CAF Cup to form the current CAF Confederation Cup, which has become the second-tier African club competition.
From Accra Hearts of Oak’s glory in the maiden edition to Stade Malien five years later, the CAF Confederation Cup has witnessed dominance from the North African clubs, who have landed the trophy a whopping 15 times, as compared to West Africa’s tally of 2.
The feat of West African clubs in the competition becomes more wobbling as Asante Kotoko, Dolphins FC, Djoliba AC, and Sewé FC are the only teams to have earned themselves silverware in the history of the competition.
The only Ghanaian club to play in the semi-final of the CAF Confederation Cup, Dreams FC, secured its ticket on August 18, 2023, after beating King Faisal in the grand finale of the MTN FA Cup.
Abdul Karim Zito and his men made it to the group stages alongside Club African, Rivers United, and Academica do Lobito, after beating Milo FC and FC Kallon in the first and second qualifying rounds respectively.
The debutants finished at the zenith of Group C, winning four times and losing twice in their six group stage games played.
Their campaign seemed to have come to an end as they were paired with former champions, Stade Malien, in the quarter final.
Despite failing to win the second leg in Kumasi after a pulsating 1-1 stalemate, defying the odds in Bamako in the first leg was enough of an impetus to advance them into the last four.
The first leg of the semi-final saw Zamalek enjoy the better of the chances in Cairo but lacked a cutting edge in the final third against their well-organised opponents.
The White Knights applied plenty of early pressure, with Shikabala, Mostafa Shalaby, and Ahmed Hamdi all getting close to breaking the deadlock before the midway point of the first half.
The second half had Dreams FC’s shot stopper Solomon Agbasi keeping out the efforts of Zamalek’s attacking threats with about 6 top draw saves, increasing the Still Believe boys’ chances of reaching the final, if they can shut out the White Knights once again in Kumasi on Sunday
Can they break the West African jinx and still believe in their Dreams?
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Story by: Augustine Quansah | univers.ug.edu.gh
