While the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has directed that both CAF Champions League matches between Simba and 15 de Agosto be played in Dar es Salaam, the Equatorial Guinea club has requested that the first-leg encounter be staged in Congo.
Simba’s Information and Communications Manager, Ahmed Ally, confirmed that the club had received CAF’s communication stating that both matches would be played in Dar es Salaam. However, he acknowledged that 15 de Agosto had written to CAF requesting that the first leg be played in Congo.
Ahmed said they were waiting for a final decision regarding the venue for the first-leg match as the teams battle to qualify for the CAF Champions League group stage.
“We contacted our opponents, 15 de Agosto, to find out where the match would be played, but they did not respond. Later, we received communication from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) directing that both matches be played in Dar es Salaam.
“However, 15 de Agosto have now come forward again, requesting that the first-leg match be played in Congo. So, as things stand, we are not 100% certain and are waiting for final confirmation from CAF,” Ahmed said.
CAF had instructed 15 de Agosto to find a venue that met its requirements after all the stadiums the club had initially submitted failed to meet the criteria. Following the club’s silence, CAF decided that both matches would be played in Dar es Salaam.
Despite 15 de Agosto’s complaints following CAF’s decision, the limited time remaining before the match makes it difficult to arrange any further changes to the venue.
According to the schedule, the first-leg match is due to be played on October 17 or 18, while the return leg is scheduled for October 21 or 24.
