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Tunisia´s Etoile beat FAR in African Champions League
RABAT (AFP) - FAR Rabat of Morocco had two players sent off as they fell 1-0 to Etoile Sahel of Tunisia in the African Champions League this weekend.
Noureddine Kacemi was shown a red card by the Malian referee just before half-time at Moulay Abdallah Stadium in the Moroccan capital after a flying tackle on Mohamed Nafkha.
And substitute Youssef Kaddioui got his marching orders midway through the second half of a bad-tempered Group A first round clash for striking a rival from behind with an elbow.
A showdown between two African club giants promised much, but the large crowd headed home feeling cheated after 90 minutes of drab, foul-littered football and some dubious decisions by the officials.
A couple of genuine Etoile penalty appeals were rejected before Komlan Coulibaly did point to the spot after 66 minutes when Khalid al-Maaroufi handled.
After lengthy protests, experienced Saber Ben Frej sent goalkeeper Tarek al-Jarmouni the wrong way to give Etoile victory as they seek to improve on second-place finishes in two of the last three editions.
Military club FAR, who in 1985 became the first African champions from Morocco, went closest to equalising when striker Jawad Ouadouch fired over after latching on to a Jaouad Bouaouda pass.
Police and security personnel escorted Coulibaly and his assistants off the field after the latest episode in a long-running feud between FAR and Etoile from the Mediterranean resort of Sousse.
The Tunisians edged the Moroccans on away goals in the second tier African Confederation Cup final last December after a second leg that ended with the South African referee needing protection after disallowing a FAR goal.
In the other Group A match Al-Ittihad of Libya made a winning debut in the group phase by surprising two-time champions Jeunesse Sportive Kabylie of Algeria 1-0 in Tripoli thanks to a late Alseny Camara goal.
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