Asian Champions' Cup

 

Asian Champions' Cup 1972

(to be played in Tehran)

The tournament was to have had seven entrants:

Rangers                  Hkg
Perspolis                Irn
Maccabi Netanya          Isr
Al-Qadisiya              Kuw
Racing Beirut            Leb
Korea University         SKo
Port Authority           Tha

These had already been drawn into two groups:

Group A
Maccabi Netanya
Rangers
Korea University

Group B
Perspolis
Port Authority
Al-Qadisiya
Racing Beirut

However, after Rangers withdrew for financial reasons and Qadisiya and Racing Beirut
refused to play because of Maccabi Netanya's presence, the tournament was cancelled.

African Player Of The Year

 

African Player Of The Year

1st  Chérif Souleymane (Guinea) Hafia 21

2nd  Bwanga Tshimen (Zaire) TP Mazembe 16

3rd  Petit Sory (Guinea) Hafia 14

Cherif Souleymane, born in 1944, started his playing career at 17, when he stadied in DDR to become a plumber. Switched to studying architecture, because it was easier to play football that way – as he revealed years later. So, very unusually for the time, he started playing in Europe and in East Germany at that: first for TSG Neustrelitz (1961-62) and later for SC Neubrandenburg (1962-65) in the Second Division of DDR. In 1965 he returned to Guinea and joined Hafia, than named Conacry II, and stayed with them to the end of his playing days in 1980. He was national team player for Guinea since 1965 and, so far, is the only Guinean voted African Player of the Year. Considering the success of Hafia and his contribution to it – well deserved award.

African Champions' Cup

 African Champions' Cup 1972

First Round
ASFA Ouagadougou         UpV  Djoliba AC               Mli   1-3  0-1  1-4
Aigle Nkongsamba         Cam  Olympique Real           CAf   3-1  0-1  3-2
Al-Ahly (Tripoli)        Lby  Al Merreikh              Sud      w/o       x
AS Forces Armées (Dakar) Sen  AS Cotonou               Dah   3-0  3-2  6-2
Hafia FC (Conakry)       Gui  ASFAN (Niamey)           Nig   4-1  1-1  5-2y
Hearts of Oak            Gha  Abaluhya United          Ken      w/o       x
Majantja                 Les  Kabwe Warriors           Zam   2-2  0-9  2-11
AS Saint Michael         Mad  Young Africans           Tan   2-0  0-1  2-1
Saint George             Eth  Lavori Publici           Som   3-1  1-1  4-2
TP Mazembe               Zai  Police                   Gab   2-0  1-1  3-1
Africa Sports            IvC  bye
Canon Yaoundé            Cam  bye
Dynamic Togolais         Tog  bye
Ismaili                  Egy  bye
Simba FC                 Uga  bye
WNDC Ibadan              Nga  bye
x Al Merreikh and Abaluhya United withdrew before 1st leg; Abaluhya United 
  were later renamed AFC Leopards
y 1st leg Feb 13, 2nd leg Feb 27

Second Round
Africa Sports            IvC  TP Mazembe               Zai   1-2  2-5  3-7
Canon Yaoundé            Cam  Hafia FC (Conakry)       Gui   3-2  1-4  4-6z
Dynamic Togolais         Tog  Aigle Nkongsamba         Cam   1-1  3-4  4-5x
AS Forces Armées (Dakar) Sen  Djoliba AC               Mli   2-0  0-2  2-2y
Ismaili                  Egy  Al-Ahly (Tripoli)        Lby   0-1  2-1  2-2  3-4p
Kabwe Warriors           Zam  AS Saint Michael         Mad   2-1  3-0  5-1
Simba FC                 Uga  Saint George             Eth   4-0  1-1  5-1
WNDC Ibadan              Nga  Hearts of Oak            Gha   1-0  0-3  1-3
x Dynamic Togolais were dissolved in 1974
y Forces Armées withdrew after 2nd leg
z 2nd leg Apr 2

Quarterfinals
Al-Ahly (Tripoli)        Lby  Simba FC                 Uga   1-1  0-3  1-4
Hafia FC (Conakry)       Gui  Djoliba AC               Mli   3-0  1-2  4-2x
  [Aly Badra Kolev, Thiam Ousmane "Tolo", Chérif Souleymane]
  [Cheick Fantamady Diallo 1, ? 2-1; Petit Sory 28]
Hearts of Oak            Gha  Kabwe Warriors           Zam   7-2  2-1  9-3
TP Mazembe               Zai  Aigle Nkongsamba         Cam   4-1  2-1  6-2
x 1st leg Sep 17, 2nd leg Oct 22

Semifinals
Hearts of Oak            Gha  Simba FC                 Uga   1-1  0-1  1-2
TP Mazembe               Zai  Hafia FC (Conakry)       Gui   3-2  o/w     x
  [Bwanga 22, Tshinabu 41, 3-2; Bwanga 7og, Soriba Edenté 65]
x 1st leg Nov 5, 2nd leg Nov 19; TP Mazembe refused to play the 2nd leg
  contesting the eligibility of the referees assigned by CAF; CAF awarded
  the 2nd leg 2-0 by forfeit to Hafia which thus qualified for the final

Final (Dec 10 and 22)
Stade du 28 Septembre, Conakry and Nakivubo, Kampala
Hafia FC (Conakry)       Gui  Simba FC                 Uga   4-2  3-2  7-4
  [Petit Sory 19, Chérif Souleymane 35, 3-2, Aliou N'Jo Léa 4-2;
   Wandera 2-1, 2-2]
  [Wasswa 74, Sukuma 88; Chérif Souleymane 67, Thiam Ousmane "Tolo" 69,
   Aliou N'Jo Léa 76]

Simba FC, the Army team from Uganda, lost the final.

Hafia won their first African cup. Unfortunately, no picture of the victors seems to exist.