text: CAF Cup: Club Africain without striker Matthew Rusike for RSLAF clash - Football Sierra Leone
  by FSL News | 9 Mar, 2017 | African News | 0 comments
  Tunisian top flight club, Club Africain, will be without January acquisition striker Matthew Rusike (pictured) for the 2017 Total CAF Confederations Cup first round home and away ties against the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces FC (RSLAF).
  The former Kaizer Chiefs forward, who made 30 appearances for Swedish side Helsingborg, scoring four goals in the process before leaving the club last year is not eligible to face RSLAF.
  Football Sierra Leone understands Rusike, who signed unexpectedly documents arrived one day after sending the final list of eligible players to play the competition.
  The two sides will go head-to-head for the first time ever on Sunday, March 12th, 2017 at the Stade Olympique de Radès in the first leg double header in Tunis and the second leg in Freetown, Sierra Leone the following weekend.
  Coach Chiheb Ellili will have to do without the former Helsingborgs IF player in their bid to reach the next stage of the competition.
  However, Algerian referee Mehdi Abid Charef will be the centreman to officiate the contest between Tunisian Club Africain and RSLAF in the first round of 2017 Total CAF Confederations Cup.
  Abid Charef, 36, has been a FIFA referee since 2011 and was the man who handled Nigeria's 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifier against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania in May 2016.
  He also took charge of the CAF Under-20 Championship finals between Ghana and Egypt in 2013 as well as the Group B clash between Gabon and DR Congo match which ended 0-0.
  Meanwhile, It would be recalled that RSLAF eliminated Nigerian club Wikki Tourists 2-1 on aggregate in the preliminary stage.