Morocco's Raja formally demanded that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) push back their African Champions League semi-final second-leg clash against Egypt's Zamalek due to a rise of COVID-19 infections. Zamalek, who hold a 1-0 first-leg advantage after securing a precious win in Casablanca, are scheduled to host Raja at Cairo Stadium on Saturday. However, Raja said they won't be able to travel to the Egyptian capital after eight players had tested positive for the highly-contagious virus. They added in a statement that club officials had held a meeting with the head of CAF's competition committee on Tuesday to explain the situation. "Accordingly, Raja … lodged a formal request to CAF to postpone the match, given the number of coronavirus infections that hit the team and the impossibility of leaving the country amid this situation," the statement read. Zamalek chairman Mortada Mansour said earlier on Wednesday that he did not mind a postponement, provided that CAF will also push back the final, which is scheduled for 6 November. Mansour is worried Zamalek might have to play two crunch Champions League ties in the space of a week, should they overcome Raja in the second leg. In the other semi-final clash, Zamalek's Cairo rivals Ahly will host another Moroccan outfit in Wydad on Friday. Ahly are overwhelming favourites to advance after securing a 2-0 first-leg victory in Casablanca. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
