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BeIN Sports famous football analyst Mohamed Aboutrika has joined the campaign protesting Morocco’s host of the African Football Confederation Champions League final scheduled to take place on May 30 at Mohammed VI Stadium in Casablanca.
Following Egypt Al Ahly‘s qualification to the CAF Champions League final, Aboutrika took to Twitter to congratulate the Egyptian club while urging the Cairo-based club’s leadership to withdraw from the highly-anticipated final due to “injustice” from CAF.
مبروك للنادي الاهلي الوصول للنهائي وحظ اوفر لفريق وفاق سطيف ..احيانا الانسحاب وعدم التواجد يكون بطولة فى حد ذاته أتمني من مجلس ادارة النادي الاهلي الانسحاب من البطولة حفاظا على مكانته وهيبته ضد ظلم الكاف .. واسف على ظهور رائي علنا ولكن لم اجد وسيلة تانيه وبالتوفيق لنادينا الحبيب
— محمد أبوتريكة (@trikaofficial) May 14, 2022
“Congratulations to Al Ahly for reaching the final and hard luck ES Setif. Sometimes, withdrawing from an event can be an achievement in itself. I’d wish Al Ahly’s managing board to withdraw from this competition and keep its reputation intact against CAF injustice. I’m sorry to speak publicly but I had no other choice. Good luck to our beloved club,” read the tweet.
The former Egyptian footballer’s tweet was met with wide criticism, with many commenters taking issue with what they described as an unreasonably radical stance on the ongoing debate about whether Morocco should host this year’s CAF Champions League final. criticized Aboutrika’s opinionated stance.
“It is really shameful that one of the renowned analysts falls so easily into the disinformation trap,” one commenter said.
Still others described the BeIN Sports analyst’s public statement in favor of withdrawing from the competition as an “unwanted” pressure on both Al Ahly’s managing board and the players in these critical moments. They urged Aboutrika to be more reasonable and watch his words, especially since he is a popular football figure in the Arab world.
As Casablanca’s Wydad AC and Egypt’s Al Ahly emerged as the two contestants in the race to win the prestigious title, the Cairo-based club and many of its diehard fans appeared to be wary of a tense final against a Moroccan club at a Moroccan venue.
As a result, the Egyptian media and public figures have launched a ferocious campaign criticizing CAF’s decision to host the much-anticipated final in Morocco and demanding that the league’s final be hosted in a “neutral venue.”
Earlier this week, Egypt’s Football Association (EFA) submitted an official objection to the CAF, protesting its decision to hold the Champions League final in Morocco.
Read also: Al Ahly Goes to Court of Arbitration over CAF Final Venue
Al Ahly also sent an official letter to the president of CAF, Patrice Motsepe, demanding a “neutral” venue for the sporting event.
Justifying its protest, the Egyptian club 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. A neutral venue would provide equal chances for the competing teams, it argued.
Yet, the CAF on Thursday upheld its decision to hold the Champions League final in Morocco, asserting that the North African country met all the criteria set by the continental football association.
The confederation’s firm stance sparked outrage in the Egyptian media. Citing “CAF “injustice” like Aboutrika, many other prominent football figures called on Al Ahly to withdraw from the final.
In response, Al Ahly’s board issued yesterday a statement calling for an urgent meeting to discuss the potential withdrawal from the competition due to CAF’s “unfair” decision.
“The managing board will hold an urgent meeting tomorrow [today] evening presided by Mahmoud Al-Khatib, to discuss all matters relating to the Champions League final match crisis following CAF’s unfair and late decision to host the final at the same stadium for the second year in a row and hence providing one of the competing teams with the opportunity to play the game at their stadium and among their supporters,” read the statement.
