JOHANNESBURG. Dec 11: Sunday's 1999 African Champions' League cup finalists. Esperance of Tunisia and Morocco's Raja Casablanca, were handed easy starts to the 2000 Champions' League campaign in the draw released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Saturday, reports Reuters.

However both clubs will have to wait until mid-February to know the Identity of their first round opponents in the campaign, for which they have, both already qualified irrespective of Sunday's result in Tunis.

Esperance, who are heavily fancied to win this year’s final, play either Dragons 1'Oueme of Benin or Chad's Renaissance in the first round in March. The preliminary round match between the two sides will be played over two legs at the end of January and a fortnight later.

Raja's opponents will be either Port Authority of Gambia or the Liberian club LPRC Oilers.

The draw for next year's Champions' League includes five of the eight sides who competed in this year's league format competition.

A record total of 45 countries have entered their champions in next year's tournament which is played on a knockout basis until the last eight are determined. The teams are then split into two groups and the competition is played in a league format.

The draw is traditionally decided by CAFs competitions committee, based on geographical considerations to cut down travel expenses for cash-strapped clubs.

Missing next year will be the champions from Djibouti. Mauritania. Mozambique. Sao Tome e Principe. Sierra Leone. Somalia. Swaziland and Togo, who did not enter, presumably because of financial con-

straints.

The African Cup Winners' Cup draw includes four former African champions, with ASEC Abidjan of the Ivory Coast and Egypt's Zamalek considered the early favourites.

Club Africain of Tunisia, who lost in this year's Cup Winners' Cup final earlier this month, return to the competition with a tie against either Mogas '90 of Benin or Gambia's WaTlidan

CAF Cup holders Etoile Sahel. also from Tunisia, begin the defence of their trophy in March against either Aslad Moundou of Chad or El Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, who play in the only CAF Cup preliminary round tie early in the new year.

Also entered into the tournament are TP Mazembe from Lubumbashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who were a dominant force in continental football some 20 years ago and won the African Champions' Cup in 1967 and 1968.