The Madagascar Cup winner, FC Rouge, will fly to Zambia this afternoon to face the Red Arrows in the first leg of the CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round.
The team travels with the ambition to win. FC Rouge, the reigning Madagascar Cup champion, is heading to Zambia this afternoon. This neighborhood club from Alarobia Amboniloha will face the Red Arrows, the two-time Zambian champions, in the first preliminary round.
The Malagasy club held its final training session early yesterday morning in Betongolo. The delegation, consisting of twenty-three players, eight technical and medical staff members, and five officials, will depart this afternoon at 2:00 PM, with a technical stopover in Botswana and an overnight layover in Addis Ababa. The first leg will take place on Saturday, September 5th, at 3:00 PM local time at the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, one of the two stadiums approved in Zambia.
“It is not easy for a club like ours to bear such an expense. We had to negotiate with a travel agency to advance and guarantee the round-trip tickets to Zambia. We have not yet finalized the travel arrangements for the return leg in Mauritius. We are therefore seeking support from private operators and especially from the State,” explained the club president, Hasina Rakotondramiara. “The organization of the return leg is entrusted to the Mauritian national association, in addition to covering accommodation and the airfare for the referees and the match commissioner,” he added. The cost of the trip to Zambia amounts to approximately 500 million ariary.
“The players are all ready and in great shape, except for one of the two injured during the friendly match against CFFA. He should be available for the return leg,” specified coach Fenosoa Ratolojanahary. “We have refined our finishing and defensive organization, as well as strengthened our mental preparation to face an African team during our last sessions. We will try to snatch the three points in the away leg,” he added.
After the match, the delegation will return to the country early the next day, September 6th. They will subsequently fly to Mauritius for the return leg scheduled for Sunday, September 13th, at 3:00 PM at the Côte-d’Or complex.
Captured & Published at: 2026-09-01 05:53:35 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/09/football-coupe-de-la-caf-fc-rouge-part.html