Rayon Sports head coach Francis Christian Haringingo has expressed confidence that his team can eliminate Cameroon’s Panthère Sportive du Ndé from the 2026 CAF Confederation Cup, despite being without three key players for the decisive return leg. Midfielder Issa Djiguiba, Mohammed Ouattara and Elie Mokono ‘Eldinho will miss the crunch game due to registration issues after their documents reached CAF beyond the required deadline. The Blues will host Panthère at Amahoro Stadium on Saturday, September 12, carrying a slight advantage following a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the first leg in Cameroon. Speaking ahead of the game, Haringingo insisted that the unavailability of Djiguiba, Ouattara and Mokono ‘Eldinho’ will not derail his side’s ambitions. “We had enough time to prepare because we know this is a difficult match, but we also have the advantage of playing in front of our supporters,” Haringingo said. “The first leg helped us understand their style of play and how we should approach the return leg.” Although the trio remains unavailable for the preliminary-round tie, Rayon Sports will receive a boost with the return of Tony Kitoga, who missed the first leg due to travel-document issues. The three ineligible players have continued training with the squad and are expected to be available in the next round should Rayon Sports progress past the Cameroonian outfit. Beyond the immediate stakes, Saturday’s encounter will rekindle a continental rivalry that dates back more than a decade. The two clubs previously met in the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round, where Rayon Sports completed a double over Panthère du Ndé, winning 1-0 in Cameroon before securing another 1-0 victory in Kigali to advance. That history gives the Kigali-based side an added psychological edge. In fact, Rayon Sports remain unbeaten against Panthère in CAF competition, having won both meetings in 2015 and drawn the first leg of the current tie 1-1. However, Haringingo is wary of relying on past results, stressing that qualification will be earned only through a strong performance on the pitch.
