Members of the Guinea Armed Forces drive through the central neighbourhood of Kaloum in Conakry
CONAKRY, Sept 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Morocco’s national team have been evacuated from the Guinean capital Conakry and their World Cup qualifier against Guinea has been postponed because of a coup d’etat in the West African country.
The Morocco camp boarded a plane after CAF released a statement confirming that the game will not take place.
Morocco goalkeeper Anas Zniti, who is with the team in Conakry, said that the squad are doing well, although they have witnessed the deteriorating security situation in the city, with midfielder Sofyan Amrabat sharing footage of military forces on the streets in his Instagram story.
The Morocco team have been told to remain inside their residence for the time being, and to stay away from windows and doorways.
“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.”
Morocco trained in Guinea on Saturday shortly before the reported coup d’etat began.
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.”
Air Senegal, which flew some of Guinea’s Europe-based players to Conakry, cancelled Sunday’s proposed flights out of the Guinean capital. The decision may raise concerns about the ability of Liverpool’s Naby Keita — among others — to return to Europe.
Morocco travelled to the country on a special chartered jet.
The four Cameroonian match officials designated to oversee Monday’s fixture are also still in the country, with African football’s governing body yet to confirm how they will exit the country.
Achraf Hakimi of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica’s Adel Taarabt, Wolves defender Romain Saiss and Sevilla duo Yassine Bounou and Youssef En-Nesyri are some of the high-profile players currently in the Morocco camp. — NNN-AGENCIES
