The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
CONFEDERATION Of African Football inter-club competitions are set to resume next month following announcement of new dates by the Caf Emergency Committee.
The games that had been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic will see the Total Confederations Cup and the Total CAF Champions League semifinal matches being played in September.
In a statement Caf said the remaining matches of the Confed Cup will be played in Morocco with the semifinals set for 22 September and the final to be played five days later.
Morocco’s RS Berkane is set to take on compatriots HUSA at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat in the first semifinal while Pyramids of Egypt clash with Guinea’s Horoya at the Mohammed V Complex in Casablanca.
The final will be played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. All matches will be played behind closed doors.
The Champions League semifinals will be played on a home and away basis with Egypt’s Zamalek taking on Morocco’s Raja Casablanca while Al Ahly (Egypt) and Wydad Athletic Club (Morocco) fight it out in the other semifinal.
The first leg matches have been scheduled for 25 and 26 September with the return legs on 2 and 3 October while the final will be held either on 16 or 17 October.
The venue of the final is yet to be decided with Caf indicating that a neutral location will be selected in the event teams from Egypt and Morocco go through.
However, if two teams from the same country make it to the final then the final will be hosted by that nation.
“The bidding process has been opened to Member Associations excluding Egypt and Morocco for the hosting of a one-off final. Interested Member Associations are to submit their bidding file including the venue for the match and the mandatory Government guarantee no later than 17 August 2020.
“In case the two Egyptian clubs or Moroccan clubs progress to the final, the one-off match will be played in either Egypt or Morocco with a proposed date of 16 or 17 October 2020. In that regard, the concerned Member Associations, Egyptian Football Association and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation have been issued a deadline of 15 August 2020 to confirm their availability,” read the statement.
