Qualified on penalties against Al-Swehly, Espérance de Tunis still have to bed in 12 summer signings, recalls Chokri El Ouer, the official in charge of the football portfolio, quoted by La Presse de Tunisie.
Saturday evening at Radès kept Espérance de Tunis supporters on the edge of their seats right to the end. Beaten 1-0 in Misrata in the first leg, the Bab Souika side turned the tie around against Al-Swehly SC by winning 1-0 at home before making the difference on penalties (3-1), according to La Presse de Tunisie. A relief, but an exhausting comeback.
Twelve signings and automatisms to find
Chokri El Ouer was keen to put this complicated return leg in context: “The club has brought in 12 new players, and their adaptation and the establishment of the necessary collective automatisms take time.” It is an argument the director is putting forward while the Tunisian club renewed a good part of its squad in the summer transfer window.
Striker Imad Faraj had opened the scoring as early as the 8th minute, bringing the two sides level on aggregate, according to Sport News Africa. But Espérance had to do without Youcef Belaïli, the Algerian international forward suspended after his red card at the end of the first leg, reports Afrik-Foot.
“Responsibility cannot lie solely with them”
Chokri El Ouer widens the debate beyond the dressing room. In comments reported by La Presse de Tunisie, he invites the club’s entire environment to shoulder its share: “The supporters also have a role to play in the club’s results, and responsibility cannot lie solely with the players or the management. Every party must contribute to supporting the team and achieving positive results.”
The Hammadi-Agrebi stadium in Radès hosted 25,000 supporters, authorised by the security authorities to fill the stands. For the director, success is collective and does not rest solely on the shoulders of the staff or the players.
The director does not play down this gruelling comeback against Al-Swehly, however.
One more continental record
Because behind the scare, Espérance have indeed secured their ticket to another CAF Champions League group stage. According to CAFCLCC and Afrik-Foot, this qualification takes the club to 24 group-stage qualifications, an absolute continental record.
The Bab Souika club thus overtakes the total of 23 participations it had previously shared with Egypt’s Al Ahly, according to Afrik-Foot. Four-time winners of the CAF Champions League (1994, 2011, 2018 and 2019), the club recalls an already rich record, La Presse de Tunisie points out.
The next date is now set: the draw for the group stage of the 2026/2027 CAF Champions League, before a derby against Stade Tunisien, brought forward to 3 November in the Tunisian Ligue 1.