Qatar Did Not Request To Host the African Champions League Final

Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be false. The Qatar Football Association denied hosting the final match of the 2022 African Champions League in an official statement.

Qatari Federation Denied the Claim

"We deny what is being circulated in the various media (outlets) about hosting the African Champions League final match in 2022, and we confirm that this matter has not been discussed with the Confederation of African Football through any of the official channels or correspondences," the Qatari Federation said in a statement.

"The Qatar Football Association also affirms its pride in the distinguished bilateral relations that link it with the Confederation of African Football, which has been in place for years under the umbrella of cooperation agreements concluded between the two parties," the statement continued. The statement was posted on their official Twitter account, as seen below.

The Confederation of African Football Selects Morocco as Host

Morocco has been chosen by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to host the 2022 African Champions League final, which will take place on May 30. "CAF received an offer from the Senegalese Football Association and the Moroccan Football Association to host the 2022 CAF Champions League final," the Federation said in a statement. Following that, the Senegalese Football Association withdrew its offer. As a result, the Confederation of African Football is pleased to award Morocco the right to host the tournament's final match on May 30th, 2022." As seen below, the statement was linked to their Twitter account.

Egyptian Al-Ahly Club Refused To Hold the Match at Their Stadium in Morocco

Following CAF's announcement, the Egyptian Al-Ahly club administration refused to hold the final match at Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca for the second consecutive season, instead requesting that it be played at a neutral venue.

In response to the decision to hold the championship final in Morocco, the Egyptian Football Association announced in a statement that "in the framework of cooperation and joint coordination between the Federation and Al-Ahly Club, the Football Association sent an official letter to CAF requesting that Egypt host the African Champions League final after Senegal withdrew from the competition."

Tournament Semi-Finals

The allegation surfaced after the Egyptian club Al-Ahly, the defending champion the previous two seasons, and the Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca advanced to the African Champions League final. Al-Ahly won the first leg of the semi-finals against Algerian club ES Setif in Cairo by a four-goal margin, while ES Setif won the return leg against Petro Atletico in Angola by a three-goal margin. Wydad faced Petro Atlético in Morocco on Friday, May 13, while Al-Ahly faced ES Setif in Algeria on Saturday, May 14.

According to the findings, the circulating claim is false, and Qatar did not request to host the CAF tournament final.

Translated by Dina Fasial