April 20 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed its two major clubs finals in May because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The finals of the Confederation Cup and Champions League 2019/20 have been put on hold until further notice,” said a CAF statement.
Douala, Cameroon, had been scheduled to host the Champions League final on May 29 at the 50,000-seat Japoma Stadium whereas the Moroccan capital Rabat would have staged the Confederation Cup final, the climax of Africa’s second-tier competition, on May 24.
“CAF is monitoring the situation closely and working with the relevant authorities including the Wealth Health Organization (WHO) on the impact of the virus on the continent, and will announce developments to our competitions at the appropriate time,” said the statement.
“The new schedule will be communicated in due time after consultation with the various stakeholders.”
The matches were due to be a landmark for African football after CAF abandoned two-legged finals. In the Champions League, Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Zamalek and Casablanca clubs Raja and Wydad are the last four teams remaining in contention.
Previously, CAF had also postponed the 2020 African Nations Championship, an international tournament with domestic-based players only. Cameroon had been due to stage the tournament.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1714101839labto1714101839ofdlr1714101839owedi1714101839sni@o1714101839fni1714101839