AS Douane stranded after plane leaves Nouakchott runway

AS Douane’s decisive CAF Confederation Cup return match at Hafia FC has been cancelled after the Mauritanian club was unable to travel to Guinea. The incident leaves the first-round tie unresolved, with the winner due to meet Algeria’s CR Belouizdad in the next preliminary round.

The club’s players were aboard a Transair Boeing 737-500 when the aircraft ran off the runway at Nouakchott’s Oumtounsy International Airport. The plane, registered as 6V-AJD, became stuck in sand and was left grounded pending towing operations. No deaths or injuries were reported.

AS Douane had been scheduled to face Hafia in Conakry after the teams drew 2-2 in the first leg on September 5. The return fixture, planned for Friday, could not take place because the Mauritanian side was still in Nouakchott. Its preparation was therefore disrupted, while the tie’s sporting outcome remains unsettled in the supplied information.

The next stage of the competition is scheduled for October, with first-leg matches set for October 16 to 18 and return fixtures from October 23 to 25. The winner of the AS Douane-Hafia pairing is set to play CR Belouizdad.