Morocco’s National Team were to play their CAF 2022 World Cup Qualifier on Monday in Guinea. The game which has now be postponed because of apparent Coup.
The Morocco camp boarded a plane and evacuated from the Guinean capital Conakry after CAF released a statement confirming that the game will not take place.
The Morocco team have been told to remain inside their residence for the time being, and to stay away from windows and doorways, after Sofyan Amrabat shared footage of military forces on the streets in his Instagram story.
Soldiers in the West African nation of Guinea detained President Alpha Conde on Sunday after hours of heavy gunfire rang out near the presidential palace in the capital, then announced on state television that the government had been dissolved in an apparent coup.
Conde is 82 years old and has been in power 11 years. He was looking to change constitution to run for third term in what many in the country saw as a power grab.
“The current political and security situation in Guinea is quite volatile and is being closely monitored by FIFA and CAF,” the Confederation of African Football said in a statement.
“To ensure the safety and security of all players and to protect all match officials, FIFA and CAF have decided to postpone the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifying match Guinea vs. Morocco, which had scheduled to be hosted in Conakry, Guinea, on Monday Sept. 6 Rescheduling information will be made available at a later date.”
The Morocco squad and coaching staff were left trapped in their hotel, before the postponement was announced, Morocco coach Vahid Halilhodzic told French newspaper L’Equipe: “We’re at the hotel, gunshots can be heard nearby all day. We’re waiting for permission to leave for the airport but we’re stranded for now.
“A plane is waiting for us, but we are not allowed to leave. And to get to the airport, it takes between 45 minutes to an hour. When you hear gunshots outside, safety is not 100% guaranteed.”
He added: “I was told there was a possibility that the game would be played in Morocco, but I don’t know. For now we’re stuck there, let’s see how it goes. We wait. I hope we get back to Morocco before the end of the day.”
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