The highly anticipated clash between CR Belouizdad, the reigning champions, and their rivals MC Alger, the league leaders, scheduled for the upcoming Sunday in the 13th round of the Algerian football league, is still in search of a venue.
The league has not yet announced the location for the match due to CR Belouizdad’s insistence on rejecting the July 5th Stadium, claiming it belongs to their arch-rivals, MC Alger.
In an attempt to find a fair and rational solution, the league called for a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to determine the venue for the match, hailed as the season’s pinnacle, given the status of both teams as top contenders for the league title and the historical rivalry between them.
Sources indicate that some officials from CR Belouizdad are inclined to request playing at Nelson Mandela Stadium or relocating the match outside the capital, Algiers.
They argue that as the hosting team, they have the right to choose a venue that suits them.
However, the same sources highlighted the security and organizational considerations that must be taken into account in such circumstances.
Therefore, the possibility of holding the match at the July 5th Stadium, which meets all the requirements compared to other stadiums, seems more likely.
It is worth noting that Nelson Mandela Stadium is slated to host a quadrangular international tournament in March, a factor that might discourage officials from choosing it to avoid potential disruptions.
MC Alger currently tops the league with 29 points, holding a comfortable 10-point lead over CR Belouizdad, which has three postponed matches in hand.
