Stellenbosch FC’s foray into continental football has served up mixed fortunes for the Winelands-based club.
The CAF Confederation Cup’s preliminary round first-leg draw has resulted in an away dust-up for Stellenbosch against Nsingizini Hotspurs in their opening African gambit.
However, instead of a cross-border trip to the neighbouring Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), they will play at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban tomorrow afternoon (3pm start).
Eswatini is one of more than 20 countries that have been banned from hosting international matches at their stadiums after inspections by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) found facilities below standard.
Hotspurs hail from a town called Nhlangano, which has a population of less than 7 000 people. They finished third in the Premier League of Eswatini last season to secure entry into the second-tier CAF competition.
As much as Stellenbosch have avoided the arduous trip to Eswatini, they were forced to forgo home-ground advantage for the second leg.
The surface at their home ground, the Danie Craven Stadium, has taken a battering because of a combination of heavy rains and frequent use.
Consequently, the stadium is off-limits, and Stellenbosch have opted for the Moses Mabhida Stadium again for next week’s second leg.
By yesterday, Stellenbosch were undecided if they would return home after Saturday’s match or remain in KZN for the return clash at the same venue.
Next week’s rain prospects in Stellenbosch will have a bearing on their final decision.
The Cape club are already in Durban and their opponents arrived yesterday afternoon after the 600km drive to KZN.
Stellies coach Steve Barker said he was aware that Hotspurs had a pre-season period in Durban, and played against local opposition.
Grafting hard 💪 pic.twitter.com/qzJWjvGQFu
“They would have the same sentiment as we have because they’ve put in a whole season to get into this position,” said Barker.
“They seem to be a team that’s ambitious and wants to do well. They had a camp in South Africa, and played friendlies at Moses Mabhida. That shows that they are serious.
“We’ve dreamt of one day playing on the continent and now that day has arrived.
“There is massive excitement, and one can sense that because there is a lot of buzz around the club. Everyone at Stellenbosch is looking forward to this historic first game ever in Africa.
“I am extremely excited, but also the whole football club. You know you want to be competing in the continent. We want to be exposing ourselves to different teams, and you want to be competing at a higher level.
“We have worked hard to get ourselves in this position.
Excitement is building ahead of our first-ever CAF Confederation Cup match 🤩 pic.twitter.com/JjCXrNmIFU
— Stellenbosch FC (@StellenboschFC) August 15, 2024
“It’s nice that we have played at Moses Mabhida before. We know Durban well, and we know the stadium well. In a sense, it helps us, but you know the opposition they’ve also worked hard.”
Barker said the Confederation Cup is a challenging competition that will test the team’s ability to remain focused. His players had the benefit of viewing footage of the opposition in action.
“We’ve got a few footages of their friendlies that they have played, but it’s never easy when you don’t see them play regularly,” said Barker.
“Look at their position in their domestic league. The way they played last season shows they are not an easy team to beat. They are a good defensive unit and have conceded some of the fewest goals in their league.”
This will be the first of three appearances Stellenbosch will make at Moses Mabhida in the next month. After the Confed Cup ties, Stellenbosch will play Mamelodi Sundowns there in the MTN8 semi-final second leg on September 1.