Egypt winger Ahmed “Zizo” Sayed said he would lead an initiative among the Egyptian side to buy tickets for Moroccan fans to attend the remaining games of the Pharaohs at the African Cup of Nations.
On Monday, Egypt booked their place in the quarterfinals of the prestigious tournament after defeating Benin 3–1 in extra time in the Round of 16, in a match played at Adrar Stadium.
The Pharaohs' technical staff, headed by Hossam Hassan, and players have expressed deep appreciation to Moroccan fans after their huge turnout to cheer for Egypt from the stands in the first three matches of the group stage, especially in the win over South Africa.
However, Moroccan fan attendance to cheer Egypt in the victory over Benin on Monday dropped compared to previous games. Some analysts attributed this drop to Moroccan fans seeing the Pharaohs as a clear contender to their national team in the knock-out stages, as the Atlas Lions vie to win their first African Cup of Nations in 50 years this year.
“I hoped to see a bigger number of Moroccan fans in the stands in the Benin game, and I knew that the reason behind this was that tickets aren’t for free like the first round,” the 29-year-old Ahly player told MBC Masr TV channel after the game.
“Moroccan fans helped us to pass the last round successfully as playing in such filled stands with the presence of fans supporting you makes you feel like playing at home. I will take the initiative to buy tickets for Moroccan fans in Egypt’s coming games to support us,” he added.
Seven-time champions Egypt will face the winner of the quarterfinal qualifier between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso next Saturday as they continue their bid for an eighth continental title.
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