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Casablanca side to duel with Chiefs

HEADS UP: Siphiwe Tshabalala of Kaizer Chiefs battles with Mooketsi Otlaantshekela of Township Rollers in Gaborone on Saturday photo: BackpagePix
HEADS UP: Siphiwe Tshabalala of Kaizer Chiefs battles with Mooketsi Otlaantshekela of Township Rollers in Gaborone on Saturday photo: BackpagePix

Former African champions Raja Casablanca were confirmed as Kaizer Chiefs' opponents in the next round of the African Champions League as Amakhosi considered taking the first leg of the second-round tie to Durban.

Raja clinched a 6-2 aggregate triumph over Diables Noirs of Congo in Brazzaville on Sunday to set up a high-profile clash in the coming weeks.

Amakhosi host the first leg against Raja on March 14 and are considering taking the game to the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban after consistently poor crowds at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg. Chiefs management will decide later this week.

The second leg will be in Casablanca in Morocco on the first weekend of next month.

Raja were comfortably set after winning 4-0 in the first leg against the Congolese and completed the business away at the weekend.

The club, coached by the Portuguese José Romão, were 1-0 ahead at half-time and doubled their lead early in the second half - extending in the process their aggregate lead to 6-0 - only for Diables Noirs to score two goals inside a minute near the end to force a draw.

Amakhosi beat Township Rollers of Botswana 1-0 in Gaborone on Saturday to win the two-legged preliminary matches 3-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg 2-1 in Joburg. Siyabonga Nkosi found the net for Chiefs on Saturday.

Raja were the first winners of the new format Champions League in 1997, beating Orlando Pirates home and away in the group phase along the way. They won the Champions League again in 1999.

Raja, which means hopefulness in Arabic, are the only Moroccan club and the first African and Arab team to participate in the Fifa Club World Cup. They competed in the first edition in 2000 in Brazil.

They became the second club representing the Confederation of African football to reach the final of that tournament. Additional information sourced from Wikipedia

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