Edubiase make tentative start in Confed
New Edubiase United made a tentative start in the 2013 CAF Confederation Cup at the weekend as they set off on a mission to bring the trophy back to Ghana.
An Alhassan Yuhu goal on nine minutes earned the unfashionable club from southern town Bekwai a 1-0 first-leg victory over experienced African campaigners Diables Noirs of Congo Brazzaville.
Cash-strapped Edubiase needed assistance from the national football body to avoid becoming the second Ghanaian side in succession after Nania to withdraw from the second-tier CAF club competition.
United, who qualified by winning the national FA Cup, also had to switch the fixture to capital city Accra because their ground does not meet international standards.
Hearts of Oak pipped Asante Kotoko on penalties in an all-Ghana maiden CAF Confederation Cup final nine years ago, but no club from the west African country has come close to repeating that feat.
Brazzaville-based Diables Noirs have their sights set on becoming the second successive Congolese winners of the competition after AC Leopards from southern city Dolisie defied enormous odds last year.
The last three winners of a competition offering a $660 000 first prize -- FUS Rabat and Moghreb Fes of Morocco and Leopards -- have played in the preliminary round.
SuperSport United of South Africa are capable of going far and the Pretoria side started impressively with a 1-0 win over CS Don Bosco in Democratic Republic of Congo city Lubumbashi thanks to a late Thabiso Nkoana goal.
Power Dynamos of Zambia have celebrated continental success, winning the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup 22 years ago, and they began with a 1-0 home victory over Angolan outfit Recreativo Caala.
Continuous pressure from the home side in Copperbelt town Kitwe paid off 19 minutes from time when Graven Chitalu soared to nod a Kennedy Mudenda cross into the net.
Recent improvement by the Ethiopian national team has filtered down to club level with Dedebit returning from the Central African Republic with an impressive 4-0 triumph over Anges Fatima in Bangui.
Addis Hintsa, Getaneh Kebede, Behailu Assefa and Dawit Fikadu netted for the Addis Ababa outfit, and the result renders largely academic the return match during the first weekend of March.
An even wider victory margin was achieved by Gabonese club US Bitam as they won 5-0 away to African rookies Desportivo de Guadalupe from the Portuguese-speaking island state of Sao Tome e Principe.
