TP Mazembe accuse Club Africain fans of noise nuisance and intimidation outside their hotel in Tunis, and announce an urgent complaint to CAF ahead of the return leg in Radès.
According to Foot-Africa.com, the Congolese club is preparing an official and urgent complaint to the Confederation of African Football. It blames Club Africain supporters for deliberate acts of intimidation and noise nuisance committed outside its hotel in Tunis. The delegation from Lubumbashi denounces a clear attempt at psychological destabilisation, away from the pitch.
The incidents took place in the night before active preparations for the return leg of the second preliminary round of the CAF Champions League. The club has not yet formally lodged its appeal: the move is announced as imminent and will have to be examined by CAF bodies.
A decisive return leg in Radès
The return leg between Club Africain and TP Mazembe is scheduled for Sunday 25 October 2026 at the Stade Olympique de Radès, according to Foot-Africa.com. The tie offers a place in the highly coveted group stage of the 2026-2027 CAF Champions League, cafonline.com specifies.
CAF has appointed Egyptian referee Mahmoud Nagy to officiate this clash. The intercontinental Maghreb derby will therefore be handled by an Egyptian official, while the Congolese delegation denounces pressure exerted off the pitch.
Sporting and financial stakes
TP Mazembe count five continental crowns in their historic CAF Champions League record, cafonline.com recalls. That experience of African competitions places the club among the regulars at this level.
The case also carries financial stakes: according to the new CAF scales, the eventual winner of the competition will receive a record prize money of 6 million dollars, according to cafonline.com. The Lubumbashi club are not there yet, but qualification for the group stage is the first step.
The complaint expected before CAF
According to Foot-Africa.com, the complaint must be formally lodged with the CAF Disciplinary Committee, which will have to rule on the Congolese club’s accusations. No reaction from Club Africain has been communicated at this stage.
Kick-off for the clash between Club Africain and TP Mazembe is set for Sunday 25 October 2026 in Radès. The Tunisian authorities have set a maximum capacity of 25,000 spectators for this match, again according to Foot-Africa.com.