Sports Reporter
THE Confederation of African Football have said sports journalists from the mainstream media will not be allowed into the stadium for the upcoming 2019/20 interclub competitions.
CAF will not be processing accreditation for the mainstream media for the remainder of the Confederation Cup and the first leg matches of the Champions League semi-finals as part of the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The CAF Champions League semi-finals are set to take place in Morocco next week with Wydad Casablanca hosting Pitso Mosimane’s Al Ahly of Egypt. The other match will pit Raja Casablanca against another Egyptian side, Zamalek.
The second-tier Confederation Cup matches will also be played in Morocco with a derby featuring RS Berkane against HUSA headlining the contests while Pyramids (Egypt) clash with AC Horoya of Guinea.
The authorities are seeking to conclude the 2019/20 campaign, which has overlapped into a new season because of the interruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Advertisement
CAF said in a statement on Wednesday that only a limited number of media personnel from the participating clubs will be allowed into the stadia as part of the measures to curtail the spread of the disease.
“In line with the CAF Guidelines to resume football in Africa and public health measures in Morocco as a due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be restricted media attendance for the First leg semi-final matches of the Total CAF Champions League and Final Four of the Total CAF Confederation Cup 2019/20, both scheduled to take place in Morocco.
“After consultations with local health authorities and in accordance with social distancing protocols, it has been decided that media attendance will only be limited two persons from each of the participating teams consisting of Club Press Officer and Photographer.
“Regrettably, no accreditation request from media outlets other than mentioned above will be considered.
“Meanwhile, arrangements are being made to stream the pre-match and post-match press conferences on specified CAF digital platforms for media representatives to follow the activities before, during and after the games.
“Regarding attendance for the second leg matches of the Total CAF Champions League in Egypt, media will be informed in due course after consultation with the relevant authorities,” said the CAF statement.
Fixtures
Total CAF Champions League 2019/20 Semi-final, first leg
17 Oct
Wydad (Morocco) vs Al Ahly (Egypt) at Mohammed V Complex, Casablanca
18 Oct
Raja (Morocco) vs Zamalek (Egypt) at Mohammed V Complex, Casablanca
Total CAF Confederation Cup 2019/20 Semi-finals
19 Oct
RS Berkane (Morocco) vs HUSA (Morocco) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
20 Oct
Pyramids (Egypt) vs Horoya (Guinea) at Mohammed V Complex, Casablanca
Final
25 Oct
(TBA) Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
– HERALD
