CAF Champions League: Al Ahly File urgent protest over supporters ban ahead of Esperance second-leg tie

Al Ahly SC have escalated tensions with the Confederation of African Football after officially protesting the postponement of their appeal hearing concerning a fan ban.

The Egyptian giants had initially been informed that their appeal would be heard at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, only to later receive communication that the session had been moved to 1:00 PM. However, matters took a dramatic turn when the club was subsequently notified that the hearing had been postponed indefinitely, sparking frustration within the club’s hierarchy.

In a strongly worded statement, Al Ahly confirmed their immediate response to CAF’s decision.

“The club has just sent an official protest to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding CAF’s decision to postpone the hearing of Al Ahly’s appeal, which was scheduled for tomorrow, concerning the penalty of banning the team from its fans in the return match against Esperance of Tunisia in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the African Champions League,”the statement said.

The club further detailed the sequence of events that led to their dissatisfaction.

“Al-Ahly’s protest came urgently after the club received notification from CAF that the appeal hearing scheduled for 11:00 AM tomorrow had been postponed to 1:00 PM, before the club received another notification stating that the hearing had been postponed indefinitely, even though the return match against Esperance is scheduled for next Saturday at Cairo Stadium,” the club added.

Al Ahly insist that the appeal must be addressed before their crucial clash with Espérance de Tunis, stressing that the right to appeal is fundamental and should be resolved within a reasonable timeframe.

The controversy stems from sanctions imposed after an incident involving fans throwing water bottles onto the pitch, an offence the club maintains was a first-time occurrence during the tournament. According to Al Ahly, such situations should warrant progressive disciplinary measures, in line with how similar cases involving other African clubs have been handled.

With the second-leg encounter fast approaching, the club is pushing for a swift resolution, calling for fairness and urging CAF to allow at least a partial return of supporters to the stands at Cairo International Stadium.