Ahly football team is obliged to allow fans to attend the African League’s final match with Tunisia’s Esperence Sportive on 4 November in Cairo, a source at the African Football Confederation said.
Ahly played most of its African League games in empty stadiums as a result of security measures taken by the Interior Ministry.
The source, who spoke to Filgoal sports website on condition of anonymity, said the football confederation’s chairman, Issa Hayatou, would not accept a final match with empty grandstands.
The Cairo match will be the first round, with the very final round to be played in Tunisia on 16, 17 or 18 November.
The same source said Ahly should choose between allowing the fans to attend the game or to play without spectators but in a different country, adding that 64 channels will air the game.
The beginning of the Egyptian local football season has been postponed twice since it was halted indefinitely in February following the Port Said football violence. Seventy-four football fans died after a game against Masry team when Masry fans stormed the pitch. Ahly fans have since been protesting against the Egyptian Football Association’s plans to resume the competitions before justice is achieved for the victims.
A protest by Egyptian football players angered at the suspension of their domestic league briefly prevented the Nigerian Sunshine Stars football team from leaving their Cairo hotel Sunday for an African Champions League match against Ahly, Reuters reported.
The players clashed with Ahly fans to ensure that the Sunshine Stars players could get to the field, fearing that Ahly would be disqualified otherwise.
