Egypt clash against Botswana delayed by few hours

Ahram Online , Monday 9 Sep 2024

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have decided to delay the match between Egypt and Botswana in the 2025 Nations Cup qualifiers after the Botswanan side failed to return to the country due to logistical difficulties.

Egypt's midfielder #19 Marwan Attia vies for the ball with Cape Verde's midfielder #14 Deroy Duarte during the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group C qualifying match between Egypt and Cape Verde at the Cairo International Stadium on September 6, 2024. AFP

The game was set to be played in Botswana on Tuesday at 16:00 Cairo local time (GMT+3) at Francistown Stadium, but the African football governing body moved it to 19:00 (CLT) upon the request of the Botswana Football Association (BFA).

The Zebras, who suffered a 1-0 loss to Mauritania in their Group C opener on Saturday, failed to leave Nouakchott as scheduled on Sunday due to logistical problems, as announced by the BFA.

Consequently, the Botswanan side is set to arrive home on Tuesday at 10:00 (CLT), six hours before the game starts, prompting the BFA to ask CAF to reschedule the match for the evening.

Egypt, who defeated Cape Verde 3-0 at home on Friday, are leading the group with three points on level with Mauritania, which will visit Cape Verde on Tuesday.

The top two teams from the 12 groups will advance to the Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to be held in Morocco next year.

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