The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially acknowledged
receiving a formal protest from Orlando Pirates following the South African
club’s elimination from the CAF Champions League.
Pirates were knocked out by DR Congo’s FC Saint-Éloi Lupopo in the second
preliminary round and subsequently lodged a complaint challenging the
eligibility of Lupopo’s head coach and two players. The allegations include:
- Head Coach Guy Bukasa: Pirates claim Bukasa was serving a CAF
suspension from his time with a DR Congo U20 side and should not have
been on the bench. - Player Molia: The club alleges Molia was registered after the transfer
window had closed. - Player Kashala: Questions have been raised about Kashala’s
eligibility, with accusations he holds two different passports.
In response, CAF’s Head of TV and Communications, Lux September, confirmed
the protest is now in the hands of the organization’s independent judicial
bodies.
“We are aware of these complaints… and they are being processed through
the competent judicial structures at CAF,” September told journalists in
Randburg.
He emphasized the separation between CAF’s administrative operations and its
judicial processes, noting that the administrative side must currently
operate on the “status quo” of the match result.
“We respect [the judicial process] because they are fully independent,”
September stated. “So we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
He concluded that there is no known timeline for a decision, stating, “When?
I don’t know. How? I don’t know. What? I don’t know.”
