A crisis in CAF due to the Wydad and Kaizer Chiefs match… and Egypt welcomes hosting the event
CAF is facing a major crisis in the African Champions League and the Confederation due to the demands of most African nations not wanting to admit citizens from South Africa. It is a crisis that casts a shadow during the past hours after Moroccan authorities refused to
grant entry to Kaizer Chiefs delegation in their match against Wydad AC. The Moroccan Ministry of Health refused to give medical permits to South African Kaizer Chiefs delegation to enter Casablanca especially after the spread of the new strain of Coronavirus in south Africa.
Abdel Moneim Bah Secretary of CAF had confirmed that organizing continental matches between two teams one of which is from South Africa has become difficult during this period due to the recent developments of the “Corona outbreak stressing that the restrictions imposed by
many countries on SouthAfrica, due to the spread of the new strain had made it a hard mission.
Bloemfontein Celtic club had also faced difficulties before facing Nigerian Rivers United, in the “first” round of 32 Confederation Cup, due to the same quarantine dilemma in addition to preventing entry to South African citizens.
The Moroccan authorities had decided not to allow the match to take place in Morocco
and not to grant Kaizer Chiefs entry visas and for that CAF had to postpone the
game and re-schedule it to the period between February 16 and 20 with the Moroccan
Football Federation being obligated to choose a stadium in a neutral country.
Egypt welcomed hosting Wydad and Kaizer Chiefs match if the Moroccan Association has
requested this formally, according to statements made by Dr. Ashraf Sobhi, Minister
of Youth and Sports today. The Egyptian minister said that he had not received an official letter
from the Moroccan Football Association to host the match but if the Moroccans requested
it, it would be approved immediately confirming that what Egypt did recently by hosting the Handball WorldCup proved Egypt‘s Institutions readiness to overcome the challenges.
