Saint-Eloi Lupopo CEO Jean-Luc Kapend reacts to Orlando Pirates DISMISSED complaint at CAF
Saint-Éloi Lupopo chief executive Jean-Luc Kapend has rubbished Orlando Pirates’ protest to CAF, describing the South African club’s claims as a case of misinformation and flawed interpretation of the rules.
The Congolese side stunned Pirates in the CAF Champions League, edging the tie 5–4 on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw across both legs. The result prompted the Soweto club to lodge a formal complaint, alleging that Lupopo breached competition regulations.
Pirates argued that head coach Guy Bukasa, who was serving a CAF suspension linked to his previous role with DR Congo’s U-20 national team, should not have been on the touchline for either game. They also questioned the eligibility of players Wanet Kashala and Molia Lihozasia.
Kapend has pushed back strongly, insisting Lupopo followed the rules to the letter and face no threat of disqualification.
“Orlando Pirates got wrong information, [Wanet] Kashala was registered on the 29th September, one day before the window was closed,” Kapend said on Metro FM’s SNAWA.
“The motivation behind the complaint from Orlando Pirates is that we announced the player on social media after the window was closed. So, they were misled.
“The second player is Molia Lihozasia, so in Congo, we change the passports, and the passport we registered Molia with is not the old one, it’s the valid passport.
On the issue of Bukasa’s suspension, Kapend stressed that the rule applies only to national teams, not club football.
“About our coach, it’s not a big problem. There is also another problem of interpretation here. According to the 29.6 article [CAF rules], the suspension of the coach can affect the competition of under-20 teams and all national team competitions.
“Bukasa can coach any team, even if it’s CAF, but he can’t coach national teams. The CAF sent us all official, and the players who were in suspension and in this list, you don’t find the name of Bukasa. Us as Lupopo, we are clean,” he explained.
Meanwhile, AfricaSoccer.com has revealed that CAF has dismissed Pirates’ protest.
