Scandal in the African Champions League! Reghecampf's team lost in the quarterfinals, but demands qualification to the “green table”
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published Monday, March 30, 2026 9:57 p.m. / Updated Monday, March 30, 2026 10:09 p.m.
A week ago, the team coached by Laurentiu Reghecampf, Al-Hilal Omdurman, was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the African Champions League, after 1-2 on aggregate (1-1, 0-1) with the Moroccan team Berkane. Laurentiu Reghecampf and his team started a real scandal, submitting an official complaint to the Confederation of African Football and hoping to get qualification to the “green table”.
The management and technical staff claim that their team has been disadvantaged and that there are serious grounds for appeal.
Reghe's formation accuses: player used illegally
Al Hilal Omdurman claim that opponent RS Berkane used an ineligible player in the “double” in the quarter-finals.
It is about the Moroccan defender Hamza El Moussaoui, who, according to the Sudanese, would have been suspended for 30 days after a positive anti-doping test, the substance being on the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Furthermore, Al Hilal accuses that the suspension would have been lifted on the very day of the match, something categorized as “a serious violation of the integrity of the competition”.
The decisive phase was influenced by the incriminated player
The situation becomes even more tense because the same player would have directly contributed to a key moment: he scored the penalty in the first leg (1-1), in Tunisia, a phase that decisively influenced the qualification of the Moroccans, notes newtimes.co.rw.
In Berkane's 1-0 return win in Kigali, the Sudanese also contested the refereeing, including the disallowance of a goal scored by Adama Coulibaly.
Laurentiu Reghecampf harshly criticized the decisions on the field, claiming that his team had a perfectly valid goal disallowed. The Romanian technician believes that his team was at a disadvantage and that there are sufficient reasons to reanalyze the result.
Final decision, expected from CAF
The Confederation of African Football has opened an official investigation to verify the eligibility of the player and the circumstances of the case. A hearing is scheduled for March 31, and the verdict could radically change the makeup of the competition.
If the allegations are confirmed, Al Hilal Omdurman could qualify for the semi-finals at the “green table”, where they could face FAR Rabat, a team from Morocco.
