Egypt match delayed after Port Said deaths

CAIRO - Reuters

Supporters of Egypt’s leading football club, Al Ahly, rally in Cairo, carrying banners with the portraits of fellow ultras killed in the stadium violence in Port Said. AFP photo

Egypt’s African Nations Cup qualifier in the Central African Republic has been postponed until June following the violence at a football match in Port Said that left 74 people dead on Feb. 1.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Feb. 17 confirmed the match, originally due to be played on Feb. 29, had been rescheduled. It is one of the qualifiers for the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa.

The Egypt Football Association successfully requested the postponement from their Central African Republic counterparts last week and CAF have confirmed the agreement, a spokesman told Reuters.

The two countries will now meet on successive weekends in June. The first leg of their first-round tie will be played in Cairo on June 15 and the return in Bangui on June 24.

Several members of the Egypt squad announced their intention to stop playing after the violence in the port city which followed a game between local club Al Masry and champions Al Ahly.