The Interior Ministry on Tuesday said that it may allow fans to attend the African League final between Ahly and Tunisia’s Esperence Sportive on 4 November in Cairo.
A ministry official told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the police can secure the stadium and there are no obstacles to an audience attending.
The source added, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the issue still needs to be discussed with different security bodies, the Sports Ministry and the Egyptian Football Association.
He stressed the ministry’s confidence that Ahly’s fans are eager to show Egypt in a positive light to the rest of the continent and the world.
The Ahly Club decided on Monday to request that the Interior Ministry allow an audience into the game. Ahly played most of its African League games in empty stadiums as a result of security measures taken by the Interior Ministry since the Port Said massacre in February.
The beginning of the local football season has been postponed twice since it was halted indefinitely following the Port Said violence. Ahly fans have since been protesting against the Egyptian Football Association’s plans to resume the competitions before justice is achieved for the victims.
Ahly qualified on Sunday for the final of the 2012 CAF Champions League after defeating Nigeria’s Sunshine Stars 1-0 in Cairo. The team won its ticket to the final with a 4-3 aggregate victory over the Nigerian side.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
