EGYPT SAYS CAIRO WILL HOST PLAY-OFF
EGYPT’S national football team will play in Cairo for the first time in two years – and for a spot in the World Cup.
The country’s football association (EFA) decided yesterday to hold the second leg of the World Cup play-off against Ghana in November at a military stadium in the violence-hit capital.
The EFA also said that fans would be allowed in to watch the November 19 game at the 30 June Stadium, a military-owned venue recently renamed to commemorate the day this year when millions of Egyptians took to the streets to demand the ouster of the Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi.
The decision to play in Cairo for the first time since late 2011 was taken after discussions between the national football body, sports minister Taher Abouzeid, a former Egyptian international player, and state authorities.
Egypt haven’t qualified for the World Cup since 1990, but under former US coach Bob Bradley they progressed to the final twolegged play-offs for a place in Brazil next year with a perfect six wins in their group, the only team out of 40 to do so.
Bradley had also called for the play-off against 2010 World Cup quarterfinalists Ghana to be held in Cairo and in front of fans to boost the Egyptians’ chances of making it to football’s main event. The 30 June Stadium has a capacity of 30 000 and the EFA said it would be full for the Ghana game.
“We would love to play in Cairo, ” Bradley had said after the play-off draw last week in Cairo. “That is the dream of the team.”
Egypt’s last game in Cairo was a 3-0 win over Niger in October 2011, four months before a riot at a league game in Port Said left more than 70 fans dead in the midst of the country’s political turmoil. Since then, Egypt’s national team has played in Alexandria and more recently in the Red Sea resort of El Gouna to avoid the unrest that has swept through Cairo and other major cities.
The games have largely been played behind closed doors, though a few thou- sand fans were allowed in to watch in El Gouna.
Despite being the record seven-time African champion, Egypt’s football has been tied to the upheaval at home that began with the 2011 overthrow of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak.
The first leg of the World Cup play-off is on October 15 in Ghana. –