Orlando Pirates’ path to the group stages of the CAF Confederation Cup has been made easier after their opponents Sagrada Esperanca decided to not travel to South Africa for the second leg.
Pirates had won the first leg 1-0 in Angola, but due to Covid-19 pandemic, Esperanca released a statement stating that they had decided to withdraw from the tournament, and would not be traveling to South Africa for this week’s second leg
A translation of the statement said that, “The risks related to the team’s stay in South Africa would be very high for the health of the players, taking into account the magnitude of the contagion level and extreme lethalness of the new version of the Covid-19 virus, which is prevalent in that country. Having considered all issues, fundamentally the need to preserve the life of its athletes and that of the technical team, the club decided not to travel to South Africa.”
The club further stated they had made contact with CAF to inform them of their decision, and their willingness to participate in continental football in the future, but under these difficult circumstances they had to make this decision.
