South African side Kaizer Chiefs say three days notice is not enough time for them to make plans to travel to Egypt for their African Champions League game with Wydad Casablanca.
Chiefs had originally been due to play the Group C game on Saturday but Covid-19 related issues meant they could not secure the necessary visas to allow them to travel on Morocco.
On Monday the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced the game had been rescheduled for Friday 19 February in the Egyptian capital Cairo.
Kaizer Chiefs say they only received official confirmation from the Confederation of African Football on Monday afternoon and have now responded to the letter.
“[We responded] citing a few impediments that will hinder us from honouring the proposed new fixture date, which is in three days’ time,” the club said on its website.
“The two main reasons are visa challenges and travel logistics.
“Given the three days’ notice to play the match, the club will still face the similar challenges from the Egyptian Embassy because it takes a minimum of seven working days to get approval for visas that will enable us to travel to Egypt.
“Securing flights at this late hour will also pose a challenge given that some airlines are not operational due to Covid-19 restrictions.”
The club also pointed out that playing on Friday could also have “a negative impact on the Champions League game against Horoya AC scheduled for Tuesday, 23 February 2021 (in South Africa).”
Instead Kaizer Chiefs have “proposed that the game be played at a later stage, as this will enable us to honour all the Champions League games on 23 February and 5 March.”
The other team that Chiefs are due to play in Group C are the Angolan side Petro Atletico.
This season is the first time that South Africa’s most successful club has reached the group stage of the Champions League.
