Chaos and clashes before Club Africain vs TP Mazembe due to mysterious incident

The Olympic Stadium in Tunisia witnessed chaos and clashes between officials from Club Africain and TP Mazembe before the kickoff of their second preliminary round match in the CAF Champions League. This incident arose from a controversial action by one of the officials from the visiting team near the goal.

According to media reports, an official from TP Mazembe approached one of the goals, holding a substance whose nature was unclear, and attempted to spray it between the posts. This action provoked objections from officials of Club Africain, as one of them quickly rushed to stop him and remove him from the goal, before security personnel intervened.

Tunisian media have circulated videos showing the Congolese official holding something in his hand and blowing on it, before heading towards the goal, which escalated tensions and turned the situation into scuffles and clashes, with the intervention of several TP Mazembe players and officials from both teams, along with security and organizational personnel, in an attempt to contain the situation.

Controversy arises ahead of the second leg match.

A Congolese official's actions have raised suspicions among Club Africain's entourage regarding possible practices linked to witchcraft, a theory that has not been confirmed based on the nature of the incident, as the substance he attempted to spray inside the goal has not been disclosed.

This was not the first incident of its kind during the encounters between the two teams, as a similar incident occurred in the first leg, which took place on Saturday, October 17, in the Congolese city of Lubumbashi, raising objections from the Tunisian side.

During the first leg, a member of the Club Africain's entourage spoke about finding mysterious objects inside a white bag near the goalposts of goalkeeper Mohib Al-Shamikh, and shared a video showcasing those objects that appeared to be small stones, which sparked widespread interaction across social media platforms.

Qualification for the group stage is at stake.

These events come ahead of a decisive encounter between the two teams, where Club Africain and TP Mazembe will compete for a place in the group stage of the CAF Champions League.

The Tunisian team returned from the Lubumbashi stadium with a valuable 1-1 draw in the first leg, setting up a home return leg with a chance to secure qualification and return to the group stage for the first time since 2019.

No additional details have emerged regarding the nature of the substance that a TP Mazembe official attempted to spray near the goal, or whether the organizing bodies have taken official action in light of the incident.