Egypt okays 40, 000 fans to cheer Pharaohs to victory
Egypt’s interior ministry has announced it will now allow 40,000 fans into the Borg El-Arab Stadium in Alexandria to cheer the home team to victory against Nigeria in an AFCON qualifier on Tuesday night.
Egypt have observed a crowd ban since February 2012 when 72 fans died at the Port Said Stadium during a league match.
The government initially approved for 10,000 fans for the crucial AFCON match, before they added 5,000 more fans and they have now agreed for 40,000 fans to watch the game, according to reports.
Local interest in the game has been overwhelming with thousands of fans lining up for hours to buy match tickets.
The first match in the northern Nigerian town of Kaduna ended in a dramatic 1-1 draw on Friday.
Following the shock withdrawal of Chad, Egypt remain on top of the group with four points, Nigeria are second on two points and Tanzania are on a point.
Only the overall winners of this group will now qualify for Gabon 2017.
Elsewhere, riot stopped play in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday as unrest broke out when a goal was awarded to Guinea Bissau after 81 minutes, with Kenya’s players arguing the ball had not crossed the line.
Play was halted for 30 minutes as Kenya fans threw missiles at the Guinea Bissau bench and the fourth official.
Kenya, who were beaten 1-0 in Nairobi, could face sanctions.
The result takes Guinea Bissau to the top of their qualifying group and leaves Kenya with little chance of qualifying for next year’s tournament.
In Group E, Congo and Zambia drew 1-1 in an identical scoreline to their result in Ndola on Wednesday.
Guinea Bissau lead the group on seven points, one point ahead of both Congo and Zambia, with Kenya bottom, six points off the top.
In Sunday’s first Nations Cup qualifier, Ghana lost their 100% record in Group H with a 0-0 draw in Mozambique.
The result in Maputo leaves the Black Stars on 10 points, four ahead of Mauritius, the surprise package in Group H. Mauritius could close that gap with a win over Rwanda in Kigali on Tuesday.
West Bromwich Albion’s Stephane Sessegnon scored twice for Benin in Cotonou as the hosts beat South Sudan 4-1 to go top of Group C.
Mali could regain the lead in that group if they beat Equatorial Guinea in Malabo today.
Comoros, who got their first win in a major qualifying competition when they beat Botswana at home on Thursday, were brought back down to earth with a 2-1 defeat in the return fixture.
The win puts Botswana on the same level on points with the top two, Uganda and Burkina Faso, who play each other in Kampala on Tuesday.
All group winners are guaranteed places at the 2017 tournament in Gabon, with the best two runners-up joining them.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have banned cash-strapped Chad from the 2019 AFCON after they pulled out of the qualifying tournament for 2017 AFCON and they will also pay a fine of $20,000.
