2020 CAF Super Cup
The 2020 CAF Super Cup (officially the 2020 Total CAF Super Cup for sponsorship reasons)[4] was the 28th CAF Super Cup, an annual football match in Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), between the winners of the previous season's two CAF club competitions, the CAF Champions League and the CAF Confederation Cup.
| 2020 Total CAF Super Cup | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 14 February 2020 | ||||||
| Venue | Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Doha | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Achraf Bencharki (Zamalek) | ||||||
| Referee | Victor Gomes (South Africa)[1] | ||||||
| Attendance | 19,398[2] | ||||||
| Weather | Mostly clear 20 °C (68 °F) 56% humidity[3] | ||||||
The match was played between Espérance de Tunis from Tunisia, the 2018–19 CAF Champions League winners, and Zamalek from Egypt, the 2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup winners, at the Thani bin Jassim Stadium in Al Rayyan, Doha, Qatar on 14 February 2020.[5]
This season was the first to be played according to the new calendar, as per the decision of the CAF Executive Committee on 20 July 2017.[6][7] The match was initially scheduled on 16, 17 or 18 August 2019, but was postponed.[8] The CAF announced on 21 November 2019 that the match would be played on 14 February 2020 in Doha, Qatar.[9][10]
The match was played in Qatar for the second season in a row, after they signed a three-year agreement with the CAF the previous season.[11] Zamalek announced in November 2019 that they would not play the match in Qatar due to the Qatar diplomatic crisis.[12] However, the club's board voted in February 2020 to play in the match.[13]
Zamalek won the match 3–1, winning their fourth CAF Super Cup title.[14]
Teams
| Team | Zone | Qualification | Previous participation (bold indicates winners) |
|---|---|---|---|
 Espérance de Tunis |
UNAF (North Africa) | 2018–19 CAF Champions League winners | 4 (1995, 1999, 2012, 2019) |
 Zamalek |
UNAF (North Africa) | 2018–19 CAF Confederation Cup winners | 4 (1994, 1997, 2001, 2003) |
Venue
The match was played at Thani bin Jassim Stadium in Al Rayyan, Doha, Qatar. The stadium has a capacity of 21,175 and is the home venue of Qatar Stars League side Al Gharafa. It was one of the five venues that hosted the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in the country.
Format
The CAF Super Cup is played as a single match at a neutral venue, with the CAF Champions League winners designated as the "home" team for administrative purposes. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, extra time will not be played, and the penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winner (CAF Champions League Regulations XXVII and CAF Confederation Cup Regulations XXV).[15][16]
Background
The match was the fourth CAF Super Cup to feature an Egyptian and a Tunisian team, with all previous three matches ending in favor of the Egyptian side. Espérance de Tunis qualified to the match after their controversial win against Wydad Casablanca in the 2019 CAF Champions League Final, where they were declared champions after the second leg was abandoned.[17] Zamalek earned a place in the match after defeating RS Berkane in the 2019 CAF Confederation Cup Final 5–3 on penalties after being tied 1–1 on aggregate.[18]
This was the seventh meeting between both teams in African competition. All of their previous six encounters were in the Champions League, including the 1994 final which was won by Espérance de Tunis where they grabbed their only victory against Zamalek in the second leg. The rest of the meetings resulted in two wins for Zamalek, including an away win in 2005, and three draws between the two teams.
Pre-match
Nine days before the match, the 2019–20 CAF Champions League knockout stage draw was held at the Hilton Pyramids Golf in Cairo, Egypt and resulted in Zamalek being drawn against Espérance de Tunis; meaning that both teams would face each other three times in three weeks.[19]
Prior to their league game against US Tataouine, Espérance de Tunis announced that defender Abdelkader Bedrane has suffered from a torn ligament and would be sidelined for at least three weeks, missing the CAF Super Cup as a result.[20]
Zamalek captain Mahmoud Shikabala suffered from an injury during training with the club in January 2020 and was still in the recovery stage. He was included by Patrice Carteron in the club's traveling squad to Qatar, but did not appear in the starting eleven or on the bench.[21]
Match
Officials
On 10 February 2020, CAF named South African referee Victor Gomes as the referee for the match. Gomes is considered one of Africa's finest referees and consistently appeared in all CAF major competitions since 2013. His compatriot Zakhele Siwela was chosen as one of the assistant referees, along with Mosotho official Souru Phatsoane, while Maguette N'Diaye of Senegal was chosen as the fourth official.[1] Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe was named the video assistant referee and was assisted by Mustapha Ghorbal from Algeria and Gerson Emiliano dos Santos from Angola.[22]
Details
         Espérance de Tunis
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    Zamalek
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[1]
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References
- "South Africa's Victor Gomes to officiate CAF Super Cup". KingFut. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- @roadto2022 (17 February 2020). "شاهد هذا الفيديو للتعرف على أبرز الحقائق لـ #كأس_السوبر_الإفريقي" [Watch this video to learn the most important facts about the #CAF_Super_Cup] (Tweet) (in Arabic) – via Twitter.
- "Weather History for Al Rayyan, Qatar". Weather Underground. The Weather Company. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- "Total, Title Sponsor of the Africa Cup of Nations and Partner of African Football". CAF. 21 July 2016.
- "Accreditation for Total CAF Super Cup 2020". CAF. 23 January 2020.
- "DECISIONS OF CAF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE – 20 JULY 2017". CAF. 20 July 2017.
- "Change in dates for CAF club competitions will begin in 2018". BBC Sport. 13 December 2017.
- "Interclubs competition calendar; seasons 2018/19, 2019/20 & 2020/21" (PDF). CAF.
- "CAF Holds Executive Committee Meeting ahead of CAN Total U-23 Final". CAF. 21 November 2019.
- "CAF Super Cup 2020 to be hosted in Doha". CAF. 20 December 2019.
- "CAF Super Cup to take place in Qatar". KingFut. 18 October 2019.
- "Zamalek refuse to play CAF Super Cup in Qatar". Egypt Today. 19 October 2019.
- "Zamalek make U-turn over travelling to Qatar for African Super Cup". BBC Sport. 4 February 2020.
- "Zamalek win the CAF Super Cup after a 3-1 victory against Espérance de Tunis". KingFut. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- "CAF Champions League regulations" (PDF). CAF.
- "CAF Confederation Cup regulations" (PDF). CAF.
- "Decisions of the Disciplinary Board 7th of August 2019". CAF. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- "Zamalek crowned Confederation Cup champions after VAR, penalty drama". KingFut. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- "Last eight draw reveal interesting pairings". CAF. 5 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- "Espérance de Tunis defender suffers injury ahead of Zamalek Super Cup clash". KingFut. 9 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- "Patrice Carteron talks CAF Super Cup preparations, Shikabala's availability". KingFut. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- "جوميز حكما لمباراة الزمالك والترجى فى السوبر الأفريقى" [Match referees announced as Victor Games set to officiate Zamalek and Espérance de Tunis encounter in the CAF Super Cup]. Youm7 (in Arabic). 10 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
External links
- Total CAF Super Cup, CAFonline.com