Retired defender Morgan Gould has recounted his painful experience with the away-goal rule and has voiced his support for its abolition in the Caf Champions League. UEFA's recent decision to remove the rule from all its competitions has sparked discussions for CAF to consider a similar move, especially after several clubs were eliminated from the quarter-finals of both the Champions League and Confederation Cup on the away goals this season.
Then in the semi-finals of the CAFCL on Friday, Mamelodi Sundowns hosted Esperance in the second leg in South Africa after losing 1-0 in Tunisia. Even though the Brazilians were controlling the game, Esperance scored against the play in the second half. That goal virtually killed off the tie because of the away goals rule, Sundowns suddenly needed three goals instead of two. If the Brazilians fought well to win 2-1 on the night, ES Tunis would have still progressed, on the away goals rule.
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The debate over the rule's validity was reignited after last week's UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, where Manchester City were eliminated on penalties by Real Madrid, but if the away goals rule was in place then the English club would have progressed without the need for spot kicks. So, in that case one might ask if the rule is better than a penalty shootout?
Gould's personal encounter with the rule was in 2017 when playing for SuperSport United in the Confederation Cup final against TP Mazembe. The match ended 1-1 on aggregate, resulting in SuperSport's defeat due to the away-goal rule.
“(In) 2017 TP Mazembe and SuperSport: we went away, it was zero-zero. They came here they scored; the final was done. For me, that was the biggest heartbreak because for me I thought that was the only trophy in my cabinet that I wanted,” Gould told Sports Night Amplified with Andile.
The ex-defender adds it was painful to miss out on the cup because it was a chance to add something continental to his cabinet and he treated it as his FIFA World Cup final.
“I really wanted it so badly, although it was the Confederation Cup. But for me, it was continental and it felt like my World Cup. And because of that rule, boom!” Gould said.
In the previous season's CAF Champions League, Sundowns were eliminated in the semi-finals on the away-goals rule by Wydad Casablanca, which led coach Rulani Mokwena to reflect on the format's significance. The problem is that it leads to clubs being cagey, afraid of the impact of the rule and so the match isn't open anymore.
“Even though the pain comes with a good sense of motivation. But I think the biggest lesson I learned was the importance of the away-goals in the Champions League.
“I said to myself right from the beginning (of the season) that if we are to lose a tie it must not be because we’ve conceded goals,” Mokwena told the media in a press conference recently.
One of the factors for the away goals rule to be used in Europe in the past is the difficulty of travelling across the continent, but in modern times with superior transport facilities, it was felt that the gap between a home and away fixture is not as wide as it was a few decades ago.
Despite the ongoing debate and the controversy surrounding the away-goals rule, CAF has shown no clear intention to discard it, leaving the discussion open and the rule still in place on the African continent.
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