CAF Rejects Egypt's Request to Postpone AFCON Qualifier against Guinea

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) declined Egypt's plea to reschedule their match against Guinea in the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 qualifiers, confirming that the game will proceed as planned on 14 June.

 Egypt's Football Association (EFA) had sought CAF's cooperation in postponing the match due to its proximity to the Champions League final, which is scheduled for 11 June.

The EFA's concern stemmed from the possibility of Ahly, Egypt's representative in the final, facing Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria. Such a scenario would have left Ahly's international players with limited time to return from South Africa, in addition to dealing with fatigue.

However, Ahly will now compete against Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in the Champions League final across two legs. The first leg will take place in Cairo on 4 June, followed by the second leg in Morocco on 11 June.

Fortunately, the crisis has eased for the Pharaohs as they will face Guinea in Marrakech on 14 June. CAF had not registered Guinea's stadiums, eliminating the need for Ahly's international players to travel and join the national team.

Egypt currently leads Group D with nine points from four games, narrowly edging out Guinea on goal difference, who sit in second place.

Meanwhile, Malawi and Ethiopia occupy the third and fourth positions in the group, respectively, with three points each.