Here is everything you need to know about the Madagascan side set to face the Buccaneers
Orlando Pirates will take on Madagascan side Disciples FC in the CAF Champions League preliminary round on Sunday.
The club, which is popularly known as CNaPS Sport, will present a different challenge to the Soweto giants starting with the opening leg which will be played in Mauritius on Sunday.
Although Pirates captain Innocent Maela has revealed that they have been studying their opponents little is known about them, making them a tricky rival for the South African giants.
Ahead of the Champions League clash on Sunday, Afrik-Foot brings you all you need to know about the club.
History
Disciples are one of the oldest teams in Madagascar and are based in Miarinarivo in Itasy Region, in the Central Highlands of Madagascar.
They are the most successful club in the country having won the Malagasy Pro League eight times.
Given their success at home, they have often been participants in continental competitions.
They play their home matches at the Stade Municipal de Toamasina, Miarinarivo. The 2,500-capacity venue is not approved to host CAF matches and that is why Sunday’s clash will be held in Mauritius.
Domestic success
Their eight league titles have come in recent years, having first done it in 2010, before a six-year winning run from 2013-2018 before again claiming victory in the 2023-24 campaign which has earned them a place in the Champions League this season.
Champions League pedigree
The club has been Champions League regulars due to their dominance in the domestic league but their journey always ends at the preliminary round.
They have also featured in the CAF Confederation Cup on a number of occasions especially when they failed to make the grade in the top tier competition before the rules were changed.
Faced a PSL team before?
Pirates will be encouraged by Disciples’ recent meeting against a PSL side which took place in 2019 when they faced TS Galaxy in the first preliminary round of the CAF Confederation Cup.
TS Galaxy romped to a 4-1 win on aggregate after securing a 3-1 victory away before winning 1-0 at home.
What has been said about them?
“We've seen a few clips of them. We know that they like passing [to] each other. They are a ball-playing team but they also hurt teams in transition, so we must be very careful,” said Pirates captain Innocent Maela.
“We are Orlando Pirates and we should be able to adapt to whatever style of play we come up with on the day, and we must not take them lightly.”
What else is there to know?
Disciples coach Mamisoa Razafindrakoto was a central defender and former captain of Madagascar who gained notoriety for scoring a world record 149 own goals in a league match.
Razafindrakoto was handed a ban alongside his team-mates and his coach when Stade Olympique de L'Emyrne, which he was playing for, suffered a shocking 149-0 loss to AS Adema in October 2022 after the players protested what they claimed to be biased officiating.
Razafindrakoto was handed a one-season ban while his coach was suspended for three years for orchestrating the embarrassing incident.