The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Monday that the 2022 African Champions League final will take place in Morocco on 30 May, despite a request by Egyptian giants Ahly to move the final to a neutral venue.
Ahly and Wydad are likely to meet in the final after the Cairo giants hammered ES Setif of Algeria 4-0 at home, while the Moroccan champions grabbed a 3-1 away win against Petro Atletico of Angola, making this weekend’s return legs merely a formality.
In a press release posted on their website, the CAF revealed it received two bids to host the final. The first was from the Senegalese Football Federation, which was later withdrawn, and the second bid was from the Moroccan Football Federation.
“The CAF is therefore pleased to award the hosting of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League 2022 Final to Morocco. The date of the final is 30 May 2022,” read the CAF statement.
Ahly formally requested from the CAF on Sunday to choose a neutral venue for the final to ensure fair play and equity among the contenders.
“Ahly highlighted in the letter that the final should not be hosted by one of the countries of the four teams competing in the CAF Champions League semi-finals and that a neutral venue will provide equal chances for the four teams,” Ahly said in a statement.
The Reds also objected to holding the Champions League final at Stade Mohammed V for the second year in a row.
The CAF also said in their statement that there is currently discussion underway to revert to the old two-legged home and away final instead of the one-leg final that was decided in 2019.
