Enyimba vows to beat Etoile again despite Tunisians’ antics

It is the decisive leg of their CAF Champions League qualifier in Sousse today and both Enyimba and hosts, Etoile du Sahel, are doing everything possible to ensure victory for their teams today.

Enyimba won the first leg in Aba 3-0 a fortnight ago and are desperate to return to the CAF Champions League group stage, where they last played in 2011. To Etoile, elimination in the preliminary round is not the mark of a champion, so everything must be done to turn the tide today.

However, the way they are going about their task does not sit well with the Nigerians, who believe victory could be attained without resort to foul play.

Since Enyimba arrived Sousse from Monastir yesterday, the team have been treated to some of their funny antics usually adopted by African teams when they are desperate for victory. But Enyimba chairman, Felix Anyansi-Agwu, said they were prepared for the worst following intelligent reports from their agents.

Anyansi-Agwu said Enyimba became apprehensive when Etoile du Sahel fed their supporters the lie that returned home and told the Tunisian media that Enyimba had mistreated them and also bribed the referee.
“Etoile had fed the Tunisian media a cocktail of lies. They said that we had provided them with a hotel infested with mosquitoes, rats and coackroaches and had failed to provide them with basic transport. They even went as far as to tell their people that two of our three goals in Port Harcourt were offside because we had bribed the Togolese referee. I am truly amazed and disappointed that a club of their stature could resort to such shocking measures to whip up sentiments against us but we were prepared for them,” Anyansi Agwu said.

With the attitude of their opponents the least of their problems, Enyimba have been training to curtail Etoile du Sahel’s menace from set pieces, with their sessions aimed at ensuring they did not concede corners and free kicks close to their areas.