Fears are growing for the safety of Ghana players when they travel for the second-leg of the 2014 World Cup playoff clash against Egypt as least 50 people were killed and scores hurt in clashes between police and supporters of the deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo on Sunday. FIFA, football’s world governing body, is under pressure from neutrals to relocate the match to a safer venue as the north African country – mired in turmoil and violence – was approved to host the match. FIFA approved Cairo as the venue of the second-leg match between the Black Stars and Pharaohs even though the country is unstable following the military coup that has seen the deaths of thousands. The country’s stadia were closed to competitive matches because of fears of violence but has been allowed to host the match even though prior to the approval of Cairo the capital had not hosted matches for TWO YEARS. With many more people killed on Sunday, the safety of Ghana’s key players is at stake as violence and protest could erupt during the anticipated highly-charged match which could lead to violence. Egypt will travel to Ghana this week for the first leg of the deciding qualifier for the 2014 World Cup but with the second leg scheduled for November, FIFA would have to re-examine its judgement. More than 200 members of the Muslim Brotherhood were arrested in Cairo, where most of the deaths were reported. Supporters of Mr Morsi marched in several cities, as the military-backed government marked the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. Morsi supporters say he was deposed in a military coup in July.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 07:26:54 +0000
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