JOHANNESBURG, (MILLAT/APP/AFP): Tunisian club CS Sfaxien have entrusted Argentina 1986 World Cup winner Nestor Clausen with the task of making them a force in Africa again.
After several years in the doldrums, they begin their challenge for a
record-extending fourth CAF Confederation Cup title by hosting Young Sports
Academy of Cameroon Saturday in a last-32 first leg.
Clausen joined the club based in Mediterranean city Sfax last November after spells with clubs in his homeland, Bolivia, Switzerland, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Ecuador.
The 54-year-old was also assistant coach of Oman and caretaker coach of Bolivia, a country where he has spent much of this post-playing career.
Formerly a defender, Clausen was part of the Diego Maradona-captained squad that lifted the World Cup a second time, but did not play in the final against West Germany.
The Tunisian club won back-to-back Confederation Cup titles in 2007 and 2008 and were runners-up in 2010 before lifting the trophy again in 2013.
But their last appearance in the African version of the Europa League was a disaster as they failed to win any of six 2015 group games and lost four.
Clausen chooses his starting line-up from a predominantly Tunisian squad with players from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria also in contention.
Goalkeeper Rami Jridi and defender Hamza Mathlouthi were part of the
Tunisia squad that reached the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals in
Gabon.
Adding an international flavour to the squad are midfielders Stephen Nyarko from Ghana, Senegalese Sengne Niang and Kingsley Sokari from Nigeria.
While Sfaxien had a preliminary round bye on account of their pedigree, Young Sports Academy won a tight tussle with Defence Force of Ethiopia.
Sfaxien, fellow Tunisians Club Africain, JS Kabylie and Mouloudia Alger of Algeria, ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast and MAS Fes of Morocco are the former CAF title winners in the field.
Kabylie staged a dramatic comeback in the preliminary round, winning 4-0 at home to Monrovia Club Breweries after losing by three goals in Liberia.
The winners of six CAF competitions are away to regular but usually
unsuccessful African campaigners Etoile Congo in Congo Brazzaville.
Mouloudia hope to improve on three short-lived previous appearances when they host Renaissance Congo from the Democratic Republic of Congo,