Al Ahly have released an official statement confirming four decisions taken over the CAF Champions League final after their board meeting on Sunday.
The record ten-time African champions are scheduled to face Wydad Athletic Club at their home ground at the Stade Mohamed V, a decision that caused widespread controversy due to several factors.
Casablanca hosted the final last season, the decision was made after the semi-final first leg and it won’t be a neutral venue due to Wydad playing in front of the home crowd – something the CAF executive committee agreed would not happen when they converted the final to a one-off game.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, Ahly stated:
- The club will proceed in the case in front of CAS regardless of its future consequences, aiming for promoting justice aside from any unreal rumours of disputes with other clubs that we have good relations with, especially since CAF did not respond to our legitimate demands that we sent four days ago.
- Al Ahly will fund the fans’ one-day trips to Morocco with 3,000 EGP per person, in coordination with the national tourism companies, Lucky Tours and Master Travel who are assigned to organize the trips of our fans to attend the CAF champions league final. The club would like to thank Dr Ashraf Sobhy, the Egyptian minister of youth and sports, for approving payment of the funds from the club’s budget.
- The club categorically stands against any attempts to create any disputes with Wydad Athletic Club of Morocco as the club appreciates the strong friendly ties with all the Moroccan clubs and its officials. The club stresses that the current dispute with CAF is due to the contradictory reasons behind their decision regarding the venue of the 2022 CAF Champions League final.
- Mahmoud El-Khatib, the club’s president, will head our delegation to Morocco and the coaching staff will decide the travelling date.
The fixture is scheduled to take place next Monday, 30 May in Morocco where Pitso Mosimane and his troops are aiming for three consecutive Champions League titles since his arrival in September 2020.
