CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals: 5 things to know as Gallants fly SA flag high in Africa

A new name will be engraved on the CAF Confederation Cup trophy this season as the Moroccan monopoly of the competition comes to an end.

In the semi-final first legs on Wednesday, South Africa's Marumo Gallants travel to the Tanzania's Young Africans, and ASEC Mimosas of the Ivory Coast entertain Algeria's USM Alger.

The line-up contains several surprise qualifiers and is unusual in that the dominant region in African club football, the north, has only one representative. 

Moroccan clubs Raja Casablanca and Renaissance Berkane each won two of the previous five finals, with Egyptian outfit Zamalek the other side to win the African equivalent of the Europa League.

AFP Sport introduces some of the stars who could play key roles in deciding which teams advance to the final.

Red-hot Chivaviro

Ranga Chivaviro of Marumo is the joint leading scorer in the Confederation Cup with six goals and he will appreciate the hot weather forecast for the first leg against Young Africans. 

"I spent six months playing for a club in Kosovo two years ago and could not get used to the cold conditions," said the 30-year-old.

His quarter-final first-leg header against Pyramids in Egypt earned Gallants an unexpected draw, and a solitary goal gave the South Africans victory in the return match. 

Menacing Mayele

Young Africans forward Fiston Mayele has scored 12 goals this season in both of the CAF club competitions, the Champions League and Confederation Cup.

A 28-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo, he bagged seven goals in the Champions League, including two hat-tricks. 

When the Dar es Salaam outfit were demoted to the Confederation Cup, he continued to torment rivals, scoring the two goals that eliminated Rivers United of Nigeria in the last