Tunisia's players are planning to wear black armbands in their African Cup of Nations quarterfinal match, as a sign of respect for the more than 70 people who died at a league game in Egypt earlier this week.
Tunisian Football Federation President Anouar Haddad said his team had asked for permission from tournament organizers at the Confederation of African Football to wear the armbands in the match against Ghana at Stade de Franceville on Sunday.
It was a sign of Tunisia's "brotherly" ties with Egypt, Haddad said.
Tunisia is the only North African team left at the Cup of Nations, after Morocco and Libya were eliminated in the group stage.
Egypt, the three-time defending champion, didn't qualify for this year's tournament.
"For us, Egypt and Tunisia are two brotherly countries," Haddad said at Tunisia's team base in Bongoville, Gabon."We had the same difficulties but unfortunately what has happened the day before yesterday with the victims, the 74 victims that have died, it is not normal.”
"We Tunisians have solidarity with the Egyptian people,” he added.
Haddad said he had not yet received a reply from the confederation but expected the request to be considered at a meeting on Saturday.
Africa's football body had already said it would observe a minute of silence ahead of all four quarterfinals in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea this weekend, in respect for those who died.
In one of Egypt’s and Africa's worst incidents of football-related violence, 74 people died in clashes on Wednesday in Egypt's Mediterranean city of Port Said when supporters rushed onto the field soon after a game between home team Al-Masry and Al-Ahly.
Haddad said Tunisia's "solid team" was capable of reaching the February 12 final. The team will face Ghana, one of the title favorites, in its next match.
"Why shouldn't we lift the cup?" he said.
