Nkana’s African Champions League game against Zamalek will be played behind closed doors and has been moved from Cairo to Alexandria due to security concerns.
Delegation leader Jeff Chipilingu said from Cairo that the game will be played as scheduled on Sunday March 30 at 18h00 Zambian time.
But Zamalek have insisted that Nkana travel by road claiming the distance is within the 200 kilometer radius stipulated in the CAF rules for a guest team to travel by road from the hots capital to the match venue.
However, the distance between Cairo and Egypt’s second largest city is 210 kilometers meaning that Zamalek will have to follow CAF guidelines and fly the team to Alexandria.
“We are still in discussions they are claiming that the venue of the game in less that 200 kilometers but it is over 200 kilometres we were scheduled to leave on Wednesday but have not left because of the same issue,” Chipilingu said.
Article 5, Clause 4 of the CAF Champions League Regulations states: “If the distance between the capital city and the venue of the match is superior to 200 kms, the host association shall provide the visitors with an airplane transport to the venue of the match and back. If this is not possible, the match shall be played in the capital city except by agreement between the two teams.”
And Chipilingu also confirmed that the game will be played behind closed doors due to the prevailing security situation in Egypt.
Meanwhile, Nkana, who arrived in Cairo just after 01h30 on Wednesday morning from Lusaka via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines, held their first training session under police security at one of the training grounds at Cairo National Sports Stadium Complex, the initial venue of this Sundays game.
Zamalek and Nkana are tied at 0-0 from the first leg played on March 23 in Kitwe.
Winner of Sundays clash will advance to the CAF Champions League group stage.
CLOSS DOOR GAME, in EGPTY that’was the expectation of not only KALAMPA fans BUT all loving soccer fans of this great NATION called ZAMBIA, its bcoz of insecurity of POLITICAL issues in CAIRO.
TO Nkana side wil be a gregt adventage wthout there SUPORTERS. We make it, NKANA FC wil believe in GOD(favour).
“12 TIMES CHAMPION”
This is really scary, especially if Nkana loses they will be sentenced to …
The safest Nkana can do is to loose by 5-0.
These Pharaoh’s they want to play mind games and frustrate our moral for the game. These guys should just follow CAF guidelines and fly the team to Alexandria coz pa Alexandra patali. Anyway whatever they do its favour all the way and it shall triumph over these Pharaoh’s. Can u see favour? Ati “THE GAME WILL BE PLAYED BEHIND CLOSED DOORS” Ha…. ni chipaye Kalampa nolamwina.
Nothing good will come out of this, Nkana lost that match in Kitwe.
Even against Kampala skeptical people like U who have never even watched Nkana play ruled out Nkana chances of qualifying to the next round. So we don’t give it a damn when U utter like this. GO KALAMPA GO.
THE EGYPTIANS YOU SAW IN KITWE YOU WILL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN, STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD……. DIVINE FAVOUR. GO NKANA
we dont want issues of distance plz fly and not by road to dangerance and the players will be finished egypt no trecks,
Whatever comes our way! Go Nkana go.