Rivers United confirm Port Novo venue for Bloemfontein Celtic Confed Cup tie

A NEW date and a new venue have been confirmed for Rivers United and Bloemfontein Celtic to play the second leg of their CAF Confederation Cup second round tie.

The match was first scheduled for Port Harcourt last week but Bloemfontein Celtic were not allowed entry into Nigeria, where all travel from South Africa has been severely restricted due to a new, more dangerous strain of coronavirus.

Rivers United won the first leg 2-0 in Bloemfontein.

The Confederation of African Football then ruled on Monday that the match must be played at a neutral venue in a country close to Nigeria where the South African team will be able to travel to.

Rivers United confirmed on Wednesday that the match will take place in Benin Republic, which shares a border with Nigeria through Lagos, next week.

“Rescheduled match no.79 Rivers United (Nigeria) Vs @Bloem_Celtic (South Africa), Total #cafcc 2020/21 will hold at the Stade Charles De Gaulles De Porto Novo, Benin Republic on 23rd January, 2021 at 16.00hrs,” Rivers United announced in a tweet on their official account on Wednesday.

The winners of the tie have been drawn to play CAF Champions League dropouts Enyimba of Nigeria in the play-offs for the group stage of the CAF Confederation Cup.