Kitara Football Club President Deo Kasozi has expressed confidence that his team will emerge victorious in the first preliminary round of the 2024/25 CAF Confederation Cup, despite hosting both their fixtures away from home.
In an interview with NBS Sport, Kasozi cited the club’s recent form away from the country, including a 2-0 victory over Ethiopia’s Mechal Sports Club in a friendly at Addis Ababa Stadium, as a reason for his optimism.
“Playing away from home is not new to the club. We went to Ethiopia and won against a team that was number two in their league,” Kasozi said.
Kitara will host their first leg against Al Hilal Benghazi at the Benina Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi on Friday, August 16.
Kasozi believes that playing in Libya will be an easier challenge, given that Al Hilal Benghazi finished fourth in their league, compared to Mechal’s second-place finish in Ethiopia.
“In Libya, we’re going to play against a team that finished fourth in their league, so we expect to perform well,” he added.
The decision to host their home fixture in Libya came after the club failed to secure Namboole, a stadium where they’d planned to host their home fixtures.
The ongoing renovations, including the installation of a new running track, rendered the stadium unavailable.
“We had earlier secured Namboole, but the management informed us they were installing the running track, which is expected to be finished at the end of the month when the two preliminary rounds will be done,” Kasozi said.
Kasozi confirmed that the club also explored the possibility of using St. Mary’s Stadium in Kitende, but it was not available during the required dates.
“St. Mary’s Stadium management wrote to us that the stadium wouldn’t be available during the time we requested to play games there, so we had no option but to play in Benghazi,” Kasozi said.
“As a club, we were not going to stop playing because there are no pitches in Uganda, so we had to go and play away from home,” he added.
Kitara will also host the return leg of the tie against Al Hilal Benghazi in Libya on August 23.
The club plans to camp in Benghazi for ten days to prepare for both fixtures. “We expect to camp there for ten days and play both games,” Kasozi revealed.
Kasozi promised fans that if the club wins the preliminary round tie against Al Hilal Benghazi, future home fixtures will be held at the renovated Namboole Stadium.
“If we win this preliminary round, we shall have a chance to play the next fixtures in Uganda, because Namboole will be ready,” he assured.
“So to our dear fans, pray for us so that we win and then we can play the Arabs here,” he concluded.
