The participating clubs are Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia), Kano Pillars (Nigeria), Heartland FC (Nigeria), T.P. Mazembe (DR Congo), Monomotapa FC (Zimabawe), Al Marikh (Sudan), Al Hilal (Sudan) and Zesco United (Zambia).
The group phase will last till the weekend of 18-20 September with the first and second positioned clubs from each groups qualifying for the semi-finals and the eventual winners to the grand finale.
The Sudanese giant rivals Al-Hilal and Al-Marikh, will clash on Saturday 18/07/2009, at the later stadium.
AL HILAL
Date of creation: 13 February 1930, Home Ground: Al Hilal Stadium, Omdurman (42.000 places), Colors: Blue/White, President: Salah Ahmed Idris.
The club saw the light of the day in the 1930s out of the initiative of four men from the Gordon Memorial College (today University of Khartoum). At the time, sporting outfits took the name of cities, neighborhoods or celebrated men in the country. The founding fathers had a vision for the club but found it difficult to find a suitable name for the team. It was during one of their routine prayer sessions that they found the bright light of the moon and named the club after it, Al-Hilal Club. That certainly paved the way for years of success at the club and the entire region with many clubs in the golf area having adopted the name Al Hilal. The club has its headquarters at Omdurman and is the most accomplished Sudanese team with 24 titles in 44 campaigns. Al Hilal began its continental journey in 1966, when they reached the semi finals of the Champions cup. They have since participated 13 other times including 8 appearances at the Champions league.
Record:
Championship Titles (24): 1962, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
Cup titles (4): 1977, 1993, 2000, 2004
Finalist: 2005, 2006, 2007
African Champions Cup
Finalist: 1987, 1992
Record in 2009
1/16: Al Hilal – US Tamponnaise (Reunion) 3-1, 1-2
1/8: Primeiro Agosto (Angola) – Al Hilal 3-1, 0-2
AL MERREIKH
Created: 1927, Home Ground: Al Merreikh Stadium, Omdurman (42.000 places), Colors: Red and Yellow, President: Jamal Mohammad Alwali.
Al-Merreikh was created with the name Al-Masalma at the end of 1908 by students of the Al-Masalam neighbourhood in Omdurman, the former capital of Sudan and was rebaptised Al-Merreikh Football Club in 1927. The club was the first to win the championship title in Sudan in 1934.
It was also the first year of the duel between Al Merreikh and Al Hilal. The Red and Yellow club won over its rival in a game played not in a stadium as they did not exist at the time but in a market in Omdurman. The game has entered into the annals of the club, Al Merreikh won 2-0.
Al Merreikh has won a continental title, the African Cup Winners Cup in 1989 against Bendel United of Nigeria (1-0, 0-0). In 2007 the club was the loosing finalist in the Confederations Cup final against CS Sfaxien (2-4,0-1)
PALMARES
Championship Title (17): 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1973 - 1974 - 1975 - 1977 -
1978 - 1982 - 1985 - 1990 - 1993 - 1997 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2008
National Cups (19): 1963 - 1970 - 1971 - 1972 - 1974 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 -
1986 - 1988 - 1991 - 1992 - 1994 - 1996 - 2001 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008
Finalist : 1997, 1998, 2004
CAF Cup Winners Cup (1): 1989
Confederations Cup: finalist 2007
Record inn 2009
Tour préliminaire : Al Merreikh – ATRACO (Rwanda) 2-1, 0-0
1/16 : Al Ittihad (Libya) – Al Merreikh 1-1, 0-3
1/8 : Kampala City Council (Uganda) – Al Merreikh 0-1, 1-1
