Chiefs have Africa Cup Winners' Cup appeal dismissed

April 16, 2002

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - African Cup Winners' Cup holders Kaizer Chiefs have had their appeal against disqualification from this year's competition dismissed by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The CAF appeals committee, which met in Johannesburg, found no new reasons to overturn the disqualification, announced last month after the South African club failed to turn up for their first round second leg game in Madagascar.
Chiefs beat US Transfoot of Madagascar 4-0 in the first leg in Johannesburg but did not travel for the return match, saying they were unable to secure a flight to the Indian Ocean island.
Chiefs cited political strife in Madagascar, which had caused the airport in Antananarivo to be temporarily closed and flight schedules from Johannesburg to be reduced.
But CAF said Chiefs had failed to make adequate arrangements in time and added that the referees and match commissioner had been able to travel for the match.
Another CAF Cup match in Antananarivo the same weekend also went ahead.
US Transfoot will now play Jeanne d'Arc of Reunion in the second round, with the first leg in Reunion on Saturday. The return match will be played a week later in Antananarivo.

South Africa to play Madagascar in World Cup warm-up match

April 16, 2002
CAPE TOWN (AP) - South Africa will play Madagascar in Durban May 12 in a warm-up match leading up to the World Cup.
But first Bafana Bafana will take on Ecuador on Wednesday in the Spanish town of Murcia. Ecuador is expected to pose a far greater challenge than Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean.
Newly appointed coach Jomo Sono is to announce a preliminary World Cup squad April 30 of between 30 and 40 players, who will take part in a training camp in Durban starting May 6, the South African Football Association said Tuesday. A final 23-player squad is to be announced May 9.
The team will leave South Africa May 17 for Hong Kong, where they are due to take part in a four-country tournament with China, Scotland and Turkey.
The South Africans are due to arrive in South Korea May 28, and will face Paraguay, Slovenia and Spain in the first round of the World Cup.