Ajax Cape Town, the world's first truly franchised football club, this weekend continue their formative journey on a path well trodden in the past by their Amsterdam-based owners. The Dutch club have been European champions four times, stretching back to the glory years of Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels in 1971, 72 and 73 and again 10 years ago with a youthful generation cultivated by Louis van Gaal.

Now the Cape Town version are seeking to go in the same direction and find themselves on the verge of qualifying for the group phase of the African Champions League. Ajax Cape Town, established in 1999, take a two goal lead to Guinea for their third round, second leg match-up against Fello Star Labe in Conakry.

The tie will be one of eight at the weekend, with the winners all going through to the lucrative league competition which starts at the end of June. Ajax are playing in the Champions League for the first time and have found the going hard so far. They were unimpressive in scrapping past Mhlambanyatsi Rovers of Swaziland in the first round and needed penalties to beat ASFA Yennenga of Burkina Faso after a 1-1 aggregate draw in the second leg.

Things were not helped when they have had their Democratic Republic of Congo defender Dikulu Bageta suspended for a year and goalkeeper Moneeb Josephs banned for six months following a fracas with the referee at the end of a tempestuous tie in Ouagadougou in March.
Injuries and transfers have already restricted the size of coach Gordon's squad and he will take just 16 registered players for the trip to west Africa at the weekend.  

However if Ajax qualify, they are allowed to register five new players and the coach has a crop of talented teenagers already earmarked, including 17-year-old Lunga Dlangadlanga, who scored his first league goal for the club recently.

Models
They are products of the ambitious youth scheme at Ajax, modelled on the successful version in the Netherlands which produced the likes of Kluivert, Davids, Seedorf and countless others.

While the South African club would be newcomers to the group stage, Igesund has previous Champions League experience when he took the unfashionable Durban club Manning Rangers to within one goal of a place in the 1998 final. They were pipped to first place in their group by ASEC Abidjan from Cote d'Ivoire, who went on to win the competition.

"I know I have the talent to go all the way this time. This has been a plan we have laid down over the last five years and our ambition is to be as successful in Africa as Ajax Amsterdam are in Europe," says the coach. "Playing in this competition is very hard for the players but it is a real test of character. You need a little luck here and there but if you have the right attitude it is possible to win. I have faith we can make a name for ourselves."

South Africa's other representative in the tournament, Kaizer Chiefs, face elimination, having to overcome a 4-0 first-leg deficit against Esperance of Tunisia in their match in Rustenburg on Saturday. Esperance are likely to be among at least five clubs from north Africa into the Champions League proper.

They should be joined by defending champions Enyimba, who have a 3-0 lead going into their match with army club Red Arrows of Zambia in Lusaka on Saturday. Despite featuring in the country's second division just two years ago, another Nigerian side, Dolphin FC, will be favourites for their match against ASEC Abidjan in the Ivorian capital on Sunday with a 2-0 lead.

But there could well be five sides from north Africa among the last eight. Last year's losing finalists Etoile Sahel of Tunisia will need to scrap to stay in this season's competition having gone down to the only goal in Morocco to FAR Rabat. Egypt's Al Ahli entertain USM Alger having already won away 1-0,  while brothers Zamalek look good  following their 1-1 draw in Luanda against AS Aviacao, a result emulated by Morocco's Raja Casablanca against Africa Sports.