Orlando Pirates face underprepared La Cure Waves in CAF Champions League opener

Orlando Pirates will begin their CAF Champions League campaign with a significant advantage after it emerged that first-round opponents La Cure Waves FC have had limited competitive preparation and operate largely on an amateur basis.

Pirates travel to Mauritius this weekend for the first leg of their first qualifying-round tie against the newly promoted Super League side, whose domestic championship is not scheduled to begin until November.

La Cure Waves’ only preparation has come through the Mauritius Challenge Cup, a small tournament they won on Sunday. Their matches in that competition were against AS Port-Louis 2000 and Mauritius’ national Under-20 side.

Patrice D’Avrincourt, a former Mauritius international who now works in television and radio while coaching second division club Black Horns, said La Cure Waves were not ready for a tie against Pirates.

“La Cure Waves have not had the appropriate preparations for the Champions League because our league is only due to start in November,” D’Avrincourt tellsKickOff.comfrom the Indian Ocean island.

He said the club’s preparations amounted to little more than friendly matches played over the weekend, leaving them facing a major gap in experience and match fitness.

“The only matches that they have played have been friendlies this past weekend, which is not enough ahead of a game against Pirates.

“Remember, they are a team nowhere near the level of Pirates, so with such preparations they have gone from bad to worse, and they will not stand a chance against Pirates.

“Pirates will win each leg by five or six goals.

“Pirates had players at the World Cup and will have played eight games by the time they meet La Cure, so you can imagine the differences.

“La Cure Waves is also a team that just recently got promoted to the Super League.”

La Cure Waves do have several players with international experience, along with foreign footballers from Cameroon, Ghana and Nigeria. However, D’Avrincourt believes those individuals will not be enough to bridge the gap between the two clubs.

“By our standards, they do have some good players from our national team and foreigners from Cameroon, Ghana, and Nigeria.

“However, it will be impossible for them to beat Pirates because we have a problem: our championship hasn’t started yet, plus we are amateurs and not professionals.”

The financial difference between the clubs is also considerable. D’Avrincourt said the best-paid players in Mauritius earn 50,000 Mauritian rupees, approximately R17,000, and that only three or four players receive that amount.

“Talking of money, the best-paid players here get 50 000 Mauritian rupees (approx. R17000), and that is maybe three or four players.

“Most of the players here earn 15 000 Mauritian rupees (approx. R5000), so I hope you understand what I mean when I say the levels are not the same.”

Pirates will also face unfamiliar conditions in the away leg. The match is due to take place on an artificial surface at a stadium with a capacity of only 4,500 spectators.

“Pirates will come here and play on an artificial pitch at a stadium with only 4500 seats,” says D’Avincourt.

The first-leg meeting will therefore pit a Pirates side with a heavier schedule and players who have featured at World Cup level against a La Cure Waves team whose domestic season has yet to start.

Photo: Mauritius Football Association