Niger United draws Esperance, Police of Cameroun, Congo’s Interclub

• Topline Sparrows gets Zamalek, African Club (Abidjan), Etoile of Libya

Nigeria’s Niger United Handball Club and Topline Sparrows of Borno have been handed some of the toughest oppositions in the forthcoming African Handball Championship slated for Al Hilal Nador, Morocco from October 21 to 30.

In the draws made yesterday in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, the participating clubs were divided into four groups of A, B, C and D, with Topline Sparrows in Group B alongside African Club of Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt’s Zamalek, and Etoile de Lybie of Libya.

In Group C, which houses Niger United, are also Espérance Sportive de Tunis, Cameroun Police and Inter Club of Congo.

To battle in Group A are Al-Ahly (Egypt), Stade Mandji (Gabon), l’Union Libyenne (Libya), Al Widad Samara (Morocco) and Rwanda Police Handball Club, while Group D is the base for JSK of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sporting Club of Alexandria (Egypt), Al Hilal Nador (Morocco), Congo Police Club and SOA of Côte d’Ivoire).

The Guardian could not get officials of the Nigeria Handball Federation to explain the criteria for choosing Topline Sparrows and Niger United as Nigeria’s representatives in the championship since the country has no national league.