CAF To Decide After Kaizer Chiefs Denied Entry Into Morocco
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will decide on the appropriate course of action to follow after Dstv Premiership side Kaizer Chiefs were denied entry into Morocco ahead of their CAF Champions League clash against Wydad Athletic Club.
Chiefs who were scheduled to fly to Casablanca on Wednesday ahead of their first leg match against Wydad on Saturday, February 13 were left frozen in Pretoria after denied visas by the Moroccan embassy due to Covid-19 related health and safety issues.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (RMFF) on Wednesday issued a statement explaining that they had sent a letter to CAF to ask them to abandon or find a neutral venue for the clash between Wydad and Chiefs.
“The Royal Moroccan Football Federation sent a letter to the CAF Clubs Committee informing it that the Moroccan authorities decided not to allow the Wydad Casablanca match with the South African Kaizer Chiefs team to be held on February 13th in Casablanca for the first round of the African Champions League, due to health and safety related to the recent developments of Covid-19,” read a statement from RMFF
“The Royal Moroccan Football Federation called on the Confederation of African Football to postpone the match, or hold it in another country if this is not possible.”
The RMFF are still to receive an update from CAF regarding their request.
South Africa is on the list of countries that have been banned from entering Morocco due of the high numbers of the Covid-19 infections.
At the beginning of January another South African side, Bloemfontein Celtic were denied entry into Nigeria for their CAF Confederations Cup second leg tie against Rivers United due to the strict coronavirus regulations put in place by the Nigerian Government.
CAF ordered the match to be moved to neighbouring Benin which has more lenient Covid-19 protocols for travellers arriving from South Africa.
The match was postponed from the 6th of January to the 23rd of the same month.
Wydad against Chiefs tie could also be moved to Egypt or Tunisia at a later date.
