Ahly s Coach Mosimane gestures to the players during the match with ES Setif on Saturday 7 May, 2022. Photo courtesy of Ahly Facebook page.
“Before the semi-final games, there was a deafening silence regarding which country would host the final. Then after the first leg of the semi finals, suddenly Morocco is hosting,” the South African coach posted via Twitter early on Tuesday.
Ahly and Morocco’s Wydad are likely to meet in the final after the Cairo giants hammered ES Setif of Algeria 4-0 at home, while the Moroccan champions grabbed a 3-1 away win against Petro Atletico of Angola, making this weekend’s return legs merely a formality.
On Monday, the CAF revealed that it received two bids to host the final. The first was from the Senegalese Football Federation, which was later withdrawn, and the second bid was from the Moroccan Football Federation.
“The CAF is therefore pleased to award the hosting of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2022 final to Morocco. The date of the final is 30 May, 2022,” the CAF said in a statement.
A day earlier, ten-time African Champions Ahly formally requested from the CAF to choose a neutral venue for the final to ensure fair play and equity among the contenders.
The Reds also objected to holding the Champions League final at Morocco’s Stade Mohammed V for the second year in a row.
Ahly will be hosted by ES Setif in the semis’ return match on 14 May, meanwhile Wydad will host Petro Atletico a day earlier.
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