CAF releases updated calendar for inter-club competitions
Cairo, Egypt (PANA) - The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Emergency Committee has approved the revised calendar for the Interclubs competitions which was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A press release on the CAF website on Monday said the semifinal matches of the Total Confederation Cup 2019/20 will be on 22 September.
The first match will be between Pyramids of Egypt and Horoya of Guinea at Mohammed V Complex, Casablanca, while the second match will be between RS Berkane of Morocco and HUSA of Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
The final will be on 27 September at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat.
All matches will be played behind closed doors, CAF said.
On the Total CAF Champions League 2019/2020, the press release said following the withdrawal of Cameroon Football Federation from hosting the final four, and in line with the principle of fairness, it was decided against hosting a final four in either Egypt or Morocco, whose representatives constitute the semi-finalists: Al Ahly and Zamalek of Egypt and Raja Club Athletic and Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco.
CAF said the semi-final matches will be played on home and away basis with first leg matches to be played on 25 and 26 September 2020 in Morocco and second leg matches to be played on 2 and 3 October 2020 in Egypt.
The press release said in the principle of fairness, the final will be played at a neutral venue in the event a team from Egypt and Morocco qualify from the semis.
Consequently, the bidding process has been opened to Member Associations, excluding Egypt and Morocco, for the hosting of a one-off final.
The press release said 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."
The press release said CAF will continue discussions with the various stakeholders on the possibilities of organizing the remaining matches of the Total CAF Champions League 2019/20 behind closed doors or otherwise.
It said the CAF Guidlines for the restart of competitions put together by the CAF Medical Committee in collaboration with the CAF Technical and Development Department will be applied for staging of the remaining matches of the Interclubs 2019/20 season.
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The guidelines highlight effective and continuous medical assessment (testing) of players and officials, plans for training sessions, disinfection of sporting facilities, as well as strict adherence to the global preventive protocols.
Meanwhile, CAF is monitoring the situation closely and working with the relevant authorities with regards to hosting of the matches, and will make pronouncements accordingly in the event of developments that will affect playing a match at the designated venue.
