Tough Champions League road for Double Action
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday July 23, 2022 06:00
The Gaborone City Regional Football Association side was, on Wednesday handed a tough draw in the COSAFA qualifiers of the CAF Women's Champions League.
Double Action are in Group A alongside defending champions, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa and Mozambique's Costa do Sol. The tournament will be played in Durban, South Africa from August 7-13.
Local fans would have hoped for a good draw for the local team after six teams went into the draw to compete in this year's qualifiers. The draw, held in Morocco on the sidelines of the ongoing 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, did not do Double Action any favours.
The team that tops each of the two groups will shoot straight to the final match of the qualifiers tournament, to play for a spot in the Champions League finals to be held in Morocco later this year. The group stages runners-up will play in the third place playoff match.
Double Action will sweat to reach the final of the qualifiers tournament following the inclusion of Sundowns in their group. Sundowns are by miles the toughest team in the tournament.
The Pretoria-based side won the last edition of the qualifiers without a fuss and went on to clinch the Champions League title without conceding a goal. Double Action's chances have been improved by the inclusion of Costa do Sol, who will be making their bow at the tournament. The Mozambican side does not have much experience playing club inter-club competitions, something that could work in Double Action's favour. Double Action will return to the competition for the second time in a row.
Double Action, Sundowns, and Green Buffaloes of Zambia are the other three sides in the competition for a second successive year. The newcomers are Costa do Sol, Young Buffaloes from Eswatini, and Comoros’ Olympic de Moroni. Double Action was knocked out in the semi-final in the 2021 edition by Black Rhino Queens of Zimbabwe. Double Action won the right to represent the country at the tournament after being the only women’s team to fully satisfy the entire club licensing requirements set by CAF. In June, the team won the DTCB Top 8 championship, pocketing P250,000.