Libyan side Al Hilal Benghazi and Rayon Sports have requested the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to postpone their Confederation Cup second round first leg encounter to a later date as the Libyan storm death toll continues to grow.
Rayon Sports departed Kigali International Airport on Tuesday evening and arrived in Benghazi on Wednesday morning hoping to play their first leg match against Al Hilal Benghazi on Friday, September 15, at the Benina Martyrs of February 19 Stadium.
“It is true, they [Al Hilal Benghazi] have asked if we can host both games in Kigali,” Rayon Sports President Jean Fidele Uwayezu told journalists after the meeting on Wednesday,” adding: “After discussions between officials from both clubs, we have made a decision to asked CAF to honour on request to play both matches (first and second leg) at Kigali Pele Stadium.”
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However, Al Hilal Benghazi had already requested CAF to postpone the match as the club joins the country in mourning more than 5,000 people who are presumed dead and 10,000 missing after heavy rains in north-eastern Libya caused two dams to collapse, surging more water into already inundated areas.
Upon arrival, Rayon Sports management led by Uwayezu and Secretary General Patrick Namenye met their Al Hilal counterparts and held showdown talks over a potential postponement of the match since the club was not ready to play on Friday. After fruitful discussions, both clubs agreed that the first leg would take place in Kigali on a yet-to-be-confirmed date and the decision was immediately communicated to CAF for approval.
Rayon Sports will now return to Kigali as the clubs await the CAF decision on their request. The Rwandan Peace Cup Winners were exempted from the first qualifying round of the Confederation Cup while Al Hilal also thrashed Homeboyz FC of Kenya 4-1 to book their place in the next phase of the competition.