TP Mazembe threaten to escalate to CAF over Club Africain fans

TP Mazembe have threatened to appeal to the CAF Champions League, protesting what they described as the actions of Club Africain fans, who set off fireworks and firecrackers in front of the hotel where the team is staying in Tunisia, ahead of their crucial encounter in the second leg of the preliminary round.

TP Mazembe, in a statement published on their official Facebook account, explained that a group of Club Africain fans gathered on Tuesday evening outside the Congolese delegation's hotel and set off fireworks for more than ten minutes, which, according to the club, disrupted the peace around the hotel.

The Congolese club believes that the incident represents a violation of the competition's regulations and could affect its players' preparations for the upcoming match. It confirmed that it reserves the right to take necessary actions with the CAF, including filing an official complaint regarding what happened.

The developments come amid the competition between the two teams for a place in the group stage, after the first leg match, which took place last Saturday in the city of Lubumbashi in the Republic of the Congo, ended in a 1-1 draw.

Josue Kazima opened the scoring for TP Mazembe, before Alain Kanté quickly equalized for Club Africain, leaving the qualification decision postponed to the return leg scheduled for next Sunday at Stade Hamadi Agrebi in Rades.

Both teams need to win to secure direct qualification to the group stage, while a continued draw will lead to a penalty shootout, according to the competition regulations.

Club Africain aims to leverage home advantage and fan support to secure victory, while TP Mazembe seeks to overcome their Tunisian rival and return with a qualification ticket. Tensions have risen ahead of the match due to an incident involving fireworks outside the team's hotel.