Football - Côte d’Or already hard at work as they await African adventure |17 January 2017

SFF Division One league champions Côte d’Or have already begun training in preparation for only their third continental appearance, where they will face Ethiopian side St George at Stad Linite on February 11.

“The team began training only last Thursday and we are already in full swing as we want to be in the best physical condition for our first leg match,” said Côte d’Or’s new head coach, Ralph Jean-Louis.

The Praslin-based outfit has already recruited for the new season, where Yuri Bibi has returned to the club after his loan spell, while the club are in the process of finalising the transfer of La Passe’s Colin Esther. The club has also recruited Marcus Rose from Revengers.

“We have also recruited two foreigners, with one being from Côte d’Ivoire and the other a Nigerian as we look to bolster our squad,” added coach Jean-Louis.

Former Seychelles National team and St Michel coach, Jean-Louis said that he knows St George quite well as his St Michel side did meet the same team last year  in the same round, losing 4-1 on aggregate.

“We have also played the Ethiopian national side and have brushed up against some of this side’s players, but for Côte d’Or, the players will have to give their all in order to come out with a favourable result,” Coach Jean-Louis said.

He said he expects the players to be fit in time for the first leg match and believes that all is possible if the players have the will to win.

Saint George Sports Club, nicknamed Kedus Giorgis, is an Ethiopian football club based in Addis Ababa

The club was formed by Greeks when Fascist Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. Founded by Ayele Atnash and George Dukas, the club quickly became the symbol of Ethiopian nationalism and a representation of the country's quest for freedom.

The club have won the Ethiopian Premier League 28 times and are coached by Brazilian Neider dos Santos.

Côte d’Or meanwhile will be making their second Caf Champions League appearance, with their first ever outing ending in a 2-7 aggregate loss against Angolan side Kabuscorp in 2014.

The first leg match will be played on February 11 and the return match is expected to take place on March 18 in Ethiopia.

Coach Jean-Louis has said that while the team’s main focus at the moment is their Champion’s League clash, they will also be looking to make a clean sweep of the titles locally this season, beginning with the President’s Cup, where Jean-Louis will in fact be up against his former side, St Michel.

S.N

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