Tunisia's Etoile Sportive du Sahel, five times winners of the African Clubs Cup Final took a serious option to retain their title, when the team tied against Rabat's FAR (Royal Armed Forces) 1-1 on Saturday in Rabat.

The Tunisian club could well have won the game after Gilson Silva scored in the 34 th minute, had it not been for Saber Ben Fredj's infelicitous self- goal on the 72 nd minute. It must be added that for more than 20 minutes the Etoile Sportive du Sahel played with ten players, after Mejdi Ben Mohamed was ousted ( 69' ) following a foul.

With the Tunisians still awed by Club Sportif Sfaxien's 1-0 defeat against Egypt's Al Ahli in Rades on November 11 after they managed to achieve a 1-1 score in Cairo, the second leg which will be played in Sousse on December 2, will no doubt mobilize the Tunisian players in order to spare an eager- for- victory Tunisian public, yet another disappointment.