Kitara promise $100,000 bonus for eliminating Al Ahly in Confederation Cup

Kitara president Diu Kasoozi has promised his players a substantial reward if they can eliminate Al Ahly from the CAF Confederation Cup, describing the tie as the biggest match in the Ugandan club’s history.

The two sides will meet in the competition’s second preliminary round this month, with Kitara aiming to produce a major upset against the Egyptian side.

“This is the biggest match in our history and, certainly, we are looking to cause a surprise,” Kasoozi told FilGoal.com.

He also called on supporters across Uganda to back Kitara at their home ground in Hoima, which has a capacity of 17,000.

“We invite everyone in Uganda to support us at our stadium in Hoima. It is a small ground, but it is loud,” he said.

Kitara expect the stadium to be full when Al Ahly visit, after about 15,000 spectators attended the second leg of their first preliminary-round tie against Somali club Mogadishu City.

“Nearly 15,000 fans attended the match against Mogadishu in the first preliminary round, so we expect the stadium to be full against Al Ahly,” Kasoozi added.

The club has set aside a bonus of 400 million Ugandan shillings, equivalent to $100,000, should Kitara reach the group stage at Al Ahly’s expense.

“The club has allocated a bonus of 400 million Ugandan shillings, equivalent to $100,000, for the team if we qualify for the group stage at the expense of Al Ahly,” Kasoozi said.

Al Ahly advanced directly to the round of 32, while Kitara had to come through the opening preliminary round by overcoming Mogadishu City.

Kitara secured their place in the next stage with a 4-1 home victory in the second leg, completing a 6-3 aggregate win after a 2-1 success in the first meeting.

Al Ahly football director Wael Gomaa confirmed the dates of the two matches to FilGoal.com.

“The dates for Al Ahly’s matches against Ugandan side Kitara have been set for 17 and 25 October, for the first and second legs respectively, in the round of 32 of the Confederation Cup,” Gomaa said.

Kitara qualified for the Confederation Cup as winners of the Uganda Cup. Al Ahly, meanwhile, finished third in the Egyptian league standings.