21 Feb 2018

Following an emphatic display by Township Rollers against their Sudanese counterparts that ended 3-0 in favour of the hosts a fortnight ago at the National Stadium, Rollers on Sunday left for Sudan for the second leg encounter, where Al-Merrikh lie in wait.

Goals from Mosha Gaolaolwe, Edwin Moalosi and Segolame Boy ensured that Popa go to Sudan with one foot in the second round of fixture.

Hostility and ill treatment as well as poor hospitality by host teams often epitomise away fixtures in the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) games.

 Away teams often endure ill-treatment, including being deliberately delayed on the team bus for over an hour before the match, limited access to training, hostility from home fans and even poor sportsmanship from officials of the home team.

It is bad enough that travel within the African continent is still a complex challenge for clubs to deal with, one certainly feels that professional football clubs should at least show each other some level of professional courtesy and hospitality.

Football has huge tourism and economic potential, which is still largely untapped in Africa, so it would be wise to cease the opportunity of a continental competition to promote African tourism and hospitality.

There are however such rare occasions where the spirit of fair play and warm reception still triumphs in the beautiful game, and Rollers trip to Sudan has by far been a memorable one.Rollers public relation officer, Bafana Pheto disclosed in an interview that the team was ‘highly impressed’ by the hospitality rendered to them by Al-Merrikh upon their arrival. He said Rollers had before sent a team to assess the conditions in Sudan and the team was impressed by the facilities in Sudan.

He said Rollers rendered a five star treatment to Al-Merrikh in the first leg and it was only fitting for their opponents to return the favour.Even though the Sudanese region is prone to political conflicts, Pheto said the players and technical committee’s safety had been their priority since the team’s  departure.

He said Rollers was  aware of the hostile reception from the home supporters at Omdurman stadium especially considering that their opponents had a good record at home in this competition. The odds, he said, were surely stuck against Rollers in Sudan but Popa however had big match temperament players who had defined the odds in the past.Kick off is February 21 at 8pm.Ends