Why Mogadhishu FC want away goal rule scrapped by CAF

 Mogadishu City Club head coach Abdirahman Ali Abubakar has called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to abolish the away-goal rule after his side were dramatically eliminated from the CAF Champions League despite winning their second-leg clash against Kenya Police FC.

The Somali champions defeated Police 2–0 in the second leg of the first preliminary round at the Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday. They overturned their 3–1 first-leg deficit to level the aggregate score at 3–3. However, Police advanced to the next round on the strength of their away goals, a rule Abubakar says is outdated and unfair.

“CAF needs to look into the away-goal rule,” the 27-year-old tactician said after the match. “When you look at other continents like Europe, it has been removed. You’ve equalised in the second leg, but you’re eliminated on away goals rather than aggregate score. It should be changed to give all countries a fair opportunity to qualify.”

Mogadishu City were forced to play both their home and away legs at Nyayo due to the unavailability of CAF-approved stadiums in Somalia. Abubakar, in only his second year of coaching in continental competitions, says the experience has been invaluable despite the disappointment.

“This is my second year in the CAF competitions,” he explained. “I may be young, but I believe if we win our league again, we’ll come back stronger. Last year we were in the Confederation Cup, and this year the Champions League preliminaries. We are learning and improving.”

Police FC coach Etienne Ndayiragije praised his players’ resilience despite the defeat, acknowledging that his side’s attacking intent nearly cost them.

“We thank God we were able to safeguard our advantage,” Ndayiragije said. “Our biggest mistake was attacking so much up front, which hurt our defence when falling back, but we’re grateful to proceed.”

The away-goal rule has recently benefited Kenyan clubs. Nairobi United progressed in the CAF Confederation Cup after drawing 2–2 away and 1–1 at home against Uganda’s NEC, advancing on away goals.

Police FC now turns its attention to the second preliminary round, where they’ll face Sudanese giants Al Hilal Omdurman. The first leg is set for the weekend of October 18–19 in Nairobi, with the return fixture a week later in Zanzibar. Meanwhile, Nairobi United will meet Tunisia’s Etoile du Sahel in the Confederation Cup, playing the first leg in Nairobi on October 18 and the return in Sousse on October 25.

Abubakar’s plea to CAF adds to the growing calls across Africa to align with global trends and scrap the away-goal rule—an issue that continues to shape the fortunes of clubs on the continent.