Al Ahly have been granted permission to host Al Hilal with 50,000 fans present in their crucial CAF Champions League clash on Saturday evening.
The Red Devils require a win over Florent Ibenge’s side and they have pulled out all the stops as they secured permission from Egyptian authorities to host fans at the iconic Cairo International Stadium which can hold 75,000.
While it won’t be at full capacity, for security reasons, the 50,000 that was made available was sold out in just under four hours for the must-win game for the Red Devils to see them advance to the quarter-finals at the expense of the Sudanese giants.
Egyptian clubs have not been able to host fans since 2012, due to various issues of crowd violence in the past, with the government also looking to clamp down on the influence of the club’s ultra’s which played crucial roles in uprisings against their military-led leadership.
Politics aside, a hostile atmosphere is guaranteed as the record 10-time African champions look to join Mamelodi Sundowns in the next round and chase the biggest prize in African football once more, after five goals in the last six seasons.
Ahly will face off against the Sudan Premier League champions on Saturday evening with a 21h00 kickoff in the capital city of Egypt.
