Algerian Club Contests CAF’s Suspension of Its Supporters

Algeria’s last season domestic league winners Constantine are challenging a decision from CAF banning its supporters.

CS Constantine are to tussle with CAF Total Champions League holders Esperance de Tunis in a double-legged tie with the first outing to begin at home at the Stade Mohamed- Hamaoui on April 6^th.

And with three days to the fixture, The Smurfs have incurred the wrath of CAF’s disciplinary committee who banned its supporters from attending their encounter with ES.

The move stems from their previous game in which match commissioner Moroccan-born Rachid Akib made mention of projectiles being thrown by fans of the Algerian outfit.

Owing to the continental football governing body’s growing strong stance against hooliganism and crowd trouble, Constantine were fined and their supporters banned from the forthcoming African Cup showdown.

The verdict means they will have to play behind closed doors or without the presence of home support.

Shocked and feeling hard done by, CSC have lodged in an appeal seeking the decision be overturned.

“We are all in shock, we do not understand anything about this decision of the closed session imposed by the Disciplinary Committee of CAF at our club,” Tarek Arama, CSC’s team manager said.

“What did our fans do against Club Africain to be punished? Everyone has seen that Club Africain’s fans have caused the game’s chaos at the end of the game by even throwing smoke and shots at our fans. Now we are sanctioned by blaming our supporters. It is an unacceptable and unfair sanction.”

“We will not be silent, we will seize the CAF by bringing an action to annul this sanction,” he says.

CS are perched at seventh place in the Algerian Ligue One, registering eight wins with the same number of draws, losing five matches collecting a combined thirty-two points in twenty-one games.