Ahly and Zamalek will be backed by up to 10,000 fans each at the upcoming African Champions League’s last group stage games, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) confirmed on Tuesday.

Group B bottom Zamalek are playing CAPS United of Zimbabwe on Sunday in a final desperate attempt to reach the quarterfinals, a day after Ahly’s clash with Cameroon's Coton Sport on a bid to qualify from group D.

Fan attendance will surely make a difference in the Cairo-giants' performance, so there were attempts by the club to raise the number of spectators to 12,000, but the interior ministry has denied the request.

Egypt has been holding domestic football games behind closed doors since February 2012 after violence erupted at a number of matches, with dozens killed and injured.

The Egyptian national team, however, will be getting a large boost at the World Cup home qualifier against Uganda at Alexandria’s Borg El-Arab Stadium on 5 September, where some 60,000 spectators are expected to attend.

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