The Madagascan club that Orlando Pirates will come up against when they get their CAF Champions League campaign underway has finances that are just a drop in the ocean compared to the Buccaneers.
CS Disciples, who are the champions of the vast Indian Ocean Island country, meet Pirates in the first round of the first preliminary round on August 18.
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With no CAF-approved stadium in Madagascar, Disciples have taken their home match to the Stade de Cote d'Or in Saint Pierre, Mauritius – another island country.
The return leg will be played on August 23.
Of interest is the fact that when Disciples won the Madagascan Pro League, their prize money was a cheque of 20 million Malagasy Ariary from Coca-Cola, who sponsor the league.
When 20 million is converted, it equates to approximately R81 000, which is below what a sizeable portion of the squad at the club earns every month.
Pirates - who got R7,5 million for finishing second last season - pays six-figure salaries to a significant number of their players.
Even the low-paying clubs in the Betway Premiership have players on salaries of at least R81 000, which further illustrates the financial gap between Bucs and their opponents from Madagascar – a country whose noticeable export to South Africa was Andriamirado Arohasina 'Dax' Andrianarimanana, who played for Kaizer Chiefs.
Disciples won the Southern Region and then went into the quarterfinals along with three other clubs from their region against the four teams from the Northern Region.
They ultimately won the final 1-0 against Elgeco Plus, who will play Sekhukhune United in the second round of the CAF Confederation Cup should they pull a surprise and get past C.D Lunda Sul from Angola.
Football is still relatively at amateur level in Madagascar, where only a few clubs can afford to pay salaries, with winning bonuses pegged at R150 on average.
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Pirates also faced another club – Djabal Club d'Iconi – from the Indian Ocean Island country of Comoros at the same stage last time out.
Djabal players were asking for boots, shin guards, shorts, and whatever training equipment they could get from Pirates players after the 4-0 aggregate defeat.