In a much-anticipated development, the Bendel Insurance Football Club of Benin arrived in the bustling city of Casablanca, Morocco, on Tuesday afternoon, ahead of their decisive second-leg showdown with Renaissance De Sportive Berkane in the second preliminary round of the 2023/24 CAF Confederation Cup.
The crucial CAF engagement is set to electrify football enthusiasts on Friday, September 29, when the two teams lock horns in Berkane, Morocco.
The Bendel Insurance FC squad made their grand entrance into the Arab metropolis, courtesy of a Royal Air Maroc flight, touching down at the Mohammed V. International Airport in Casablanca around 1 pm Nigerian Time.
The journey commenced earlier in the day when the team departed from the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria. They were greeted with a warm welcome by Emmanuel Ovye Oliver, the protocol assistant, and several other officials from the Nigerian Embassy in Morocco, who were present at the airport to receive the team.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for Bendel Insurance FC, as they strive to bounce back from a 2-2 draw against RS Berkane in the first leg at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City on Saturday, September 16.
Coach Monday Odigie, who leads the Benin Arsenal, expressed his team’s unwavering confidence in defending their honor and dignity in Morocco during the return leg clash.
Stand-in captain of Insurance FC, Amas Obasogie, shared his thoughts ahead of the showdown, saying, “Knowing the honor that awaits us if we beat our opponent to qualify for the group stage, we are going to fight for everything on the field of play to go home victorious. We made two mistakes in Benin and will not want a repeat. We are facing a very strong opponent who have been champions twice in a space of three years, but we will not allow their intimidation to affect our play. They should expect a good fight from us, the way they also fought in Benin.”
Obasogie further added, “Above all, we want to fight to win for our State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, who has been wonderful in giving his all-in sponsorship and motivation that has taken us this far both in the domestic league and at the continental level.”
With the anticipation building, football enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the encounter on Friday, which promises to be a thrilling battle for supremacy in the CAF Confederation Cup. Bendel Insurance FC will undoubtedly seek redemption as they look to secure a spot in the coveted group stage of the competition.
