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Rabat – Egypt’s Football Association (EFA) has submitted an official objection to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following its decision to hold the Champions League 2022 final match in Morocco.
CAF announced on Monday night that the Champions League final match will take place on 30 May 2022, at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca. The announcement came a day after Egyptian Al Ahly Sporting Club sent an official letter to the president of CAF, Patrice Motsepe, demanding a “neutral” venue for the sporting event.
Al Ahly stressed that the game should not take place in one of the countries of the four teams competing in the CAF Champions League semi-finals, explaining that a neutral venue would provide equal chances for the competing teams.
The final match will most likely be between Al Ahly, who won their first leg against Algerian ES Setif by 4-0, and Morocco’s Wydad AC, who took a step towards the Champions League final following its first leg 3-1 win against Angola’s Petro Atletico.
Ehab ElKomy, a member of the EFA board of directors, said in a statement that the association was “surprised” by CAF’s decision, especially since it came following two letters sent to the CAF pleading for the match to be held in a neutral country.
ElKomy added that “the time is short” between the Champions League final and the match between Egypt’s national team and Guinea, which is scheduled on June 2, just three days after the Champions League. The EFA sent a third letter to the CAF, reiterating its objection to Morocco hosting the final of the African Champions League.
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Ahmed Shobier, a former Egyptian goalkeeper for Al Ahly and Egypt’s national team, called on the Al Ahly club to “strongly prepare” for the final match, as well as prepare the players to play “under the pressure” of Moroccan fans. He noted that the Egyptian football club has not yet booked its ticket for the final as it still has an important second leg match to play against Setif in Algeria.
CAF has announced that, in addition to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), it had received an offer from Senegal’s Football Association (FSF) to host the 2022 CAF Champions League final. The FSF eventually withdrew its bid, leading CAF to announce that it is “pleased to award Morocco the hosting” of the event.
African football’s governing body is currently discussing reverting to “the old two-legged home and away final to determine the winner of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, rather than the one-leg final,” which was decided by the previous CAF leadership in 2019.
