By Andrew Warshaw
February 15 – Egypt’s first Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, against the Central African Republic, has been postponed as a result of the Port Said disaster which left 74 people dead and hundreds more injured following clashes between fans of Al-Ahly and Al-Masry.
The match was due to have taken place on February 29 but will now be rescheduled for June 30 to give Egypt time to recover from the tragedy, which led to a national state of mourning coupled with widespread civil disorder.
“The decision will allow the technical staff to help the players mentally and physically overcome the consequences of that disaster, especially Ahly players who said they were not ready to represent the national team now,” Egypt’s goalkeeping coach Zaki Abdel-Fattah was quoted as saying.
All domestic football activities have been suspended for an indefinite period amid calls for the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) to cancel this season’s Premier League.
Egypt’s head coach Bob Bradley has decided to go ahead with a scheduled training camp, minus Al-Ahly players, though it is still unclear whether two friendlies scheduled for February 21 and 23 against Botswana and Kenya, both originally called off, are now back on again.
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