Eddie Akalonu
18 August 2007
Fresh from their FA Cup victory, Dolphins, as usual, play the CAF Confederations Cup tie against the Egyptian side, Ismaili, in Calabar. According to club media officer, China Acheru, in a release, the match would be played on Sunday, as in their manner to do both in the league and on the continent.
"Kick-off time remains 3.00 pm," he noted, stating that although that it's in the club's character to play matches at 4.00 pm, this has, however, been altered by Sports Five, the CAF TV rights owners who had appealed that Dolphin agrees to play starting at 3.00 pm because of congestion in the system of transmission.
The Port Harcourt side play the game without top striker in the league, FA Cup and CAF Confederation Cup, Bola Bello, who a red card two weeks ago against El-Merriekh in Omdurman.
It was also confirmed that Ebenezer Ojo and Victor Babayaro would have a 50-50 chance of featuring in the Calabar match against Ismaili, due to illness. While Ojo was confirmed down due to malaria attack on arrival in Calabar, Babayaro, on his part, had been at the Nigeria Navy Clinic in Calabar for treatment bordering on dental infections.
Meanwhile, Dolphins are appealing to Calabar fans to turn out en-mass and support the team, Sunday, as they face Ismaili. "We just urge the fans to come out and se a great game between Dolphins FC and Ismaili on Sunday," Acheru urged them.
He expressed the belief that because football fans in the area had been starved of top flight football for very long time since their darling club, Calabar Rovers, were relegated from the top league, may have caused an apathy towards welcoming Dolphin by massive turn out for games since they chose Port Harcourt for their continental campaigns.
He suspected this attitude rose when the club lost out from the professional ranks and now campaigns in the amateur league.
Dolphins go into the match with great credentials- League winners in 1997 and 2004; FA Cup winners in 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007; CAF Confederation finalist in 2005. So, we are talking about a side with great pedigree here.
Against the known Ismaili, Acheru said, "we know their recent track record of playing in the CAF Champions League final in 2003. They also have a distinction for inflicting on Enyimba, Nigeria's best side, their worst defeat so far, a 6-1 win in Ismaili in 2003." Ismaili also has a recent track record of qualifying for the final of the CAf Champions' League in 2003, losing to Enyimba 2-1 aggregate.
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