Hlokomelo Mabogale |
The South Africa Football Association (SAFA) has come out guns blazing against the African football’s association, CAF.
This comes after Morocco refused Kaizer Chiefs to enter the country to honour their CAF Champions League group stages game against Wydad Casablanca.
Mamelodi Sundowns was blocked by Algerian authorities from entering the country for their CAF Champions League match against CR Belouizdad due to the new Covid-19 variant in South Africa, while Orlando Pirates is set to welcome Jwaneng from Botswana on Saturday.
The three has since refused an alternative solution put up by CAF that the games can be played at a neutral venue, the South African teams said No.
SAFA’s official position to CAF is that “We request that CAF provide us with any research conducted regarding our COVID-19 situation in South Africa that would warrant alternatives at this stage as all countries have COVID-19 cases with Morocco being second on the continent behind South Africa.
Having hosted Sao Tome in an AFCON qualifier and a number of matches in the CAF championships without any health-related incidences, we urge CAF to apply rules and regulations where clubs or countries do not want to travel to South Africa or to allow South Africa in their countries. Those clubs and countries must forfeit the matches in line with the CAF Regulations”.
Ironically, the South African u17 Men’s squad are scheduled to travel to Morocco to participate in the u17 AFCON tournament while the CAF Congress is due to take place on 12 March also in Morocco to iron out this issue.
CAF set out rules that if a team does not participate or play in the scheduled game, it (club) will lose the game by 2-0.
