The Confederation of African Football (CAF) played tonight’s final of the CAF Champions League between Zamalek and Al Ahly behind closed doors.
In an effort to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus in Africa, no fans will be allowed access to the Cairo International Stadium as the winners of the 2019-20 edition are decided.
“Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) and the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) expressed their great interest in the Total CAF Champions League final between Zamalek SC and Al Ahly SC in the Cairo International Stadium on Friday at 21:00 Cairo local time. ” reads a statement from Caf.
“Following the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, CAF and EFA confirmed in a joint statement that their safety is the top priority for Egyptian and African football families.
“Therefore, it was decided to keep the match behind closed doors. The CAF final of the Champions League will be played at the Cairo International Stadium, which was established in 1960, and the first final in the competition history between the two Egyptian football competitors. the final of CAF’s biggest interclub competition.
“CAF and EFA hope that this match will be a message from Egypt and the African continent to the whole world, showing the ability to organize major sporting events and reflect the technical development of African football.”
To reach this stage, Zamalek, hoping to win their sixth African title and their first since 2002, silenced Morocco’s leading team Raja Casablanca 4-1 jointly over two legs.
For the Red Devils, who lost to Wydad Casablanca and Esperance in 2017 and 2018 respectively, they defeated Morocco’s Wydad 5-1 to stand a chance of conquering Africa for the ninth time.
Meanwhile, Cameroon referee Sidi Alioum will be the center of the match and he will be assisted by compatriot Elvis Noupoue and Issa Yaya of Chad, with Gabonese referee Castane Otogo appointed as the fourth official.