African Confederation Cup delayed due to Sudan’s crisis

African Confederation Cup delayed due to Sudan’s crisis

The football match between Al Hilal and Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia) was supposed to take place on Sunday in Khartoum.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir delivers a speech inside Parliament in Khartoum. (Reuters pic)
CAIRO:
The fall of Sudan’s longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir and the turbulent political aftermath has delayed an African Confederation Cup (CAF) tie for the country’s top-flight club Al Hilal.

“Due to the current security situation in Sudan, the…second leg between Al Hilal and Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia) has been postponed indefinitely,” said CAF in a statement.

The match was due to take place on Sunday at the Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman, near the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Thousands of protesters have been calling for the iron-fisted Sudanese leader’s removal since December 2018 and Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announced in a televised statement Thursday that 75-year-old Bashir had been toppled.

The minister said a military council will govern Sudan for the next two years in a transitional capacity.

CAF, Africa’s governing football body, said a new venue for the quarter final match-up will be scheduled at a later date.

Etoile du Sahel won the first leg against their Sudanese foes last week in the coastal Tunisian town of Sousse.

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