Ahli are hopeful of regaining the support of their fans in the CAF Champions League final first leg against Esperance next month. The Reds, who qualified for the final after beating Sunshine Stars of Nigeria, said on their website that a request is set to be sent to security regarding the protracted fans issue. Having played all their home games behind closed doors this season, Ahli are also hopeful to host Esperance at Cairo Stadium. The Cairo giants played most of their games at the Military Academy before switching to the Air Defense Stadium against Sunshine. Voices calling for the return of fans to the stands have been increasingly loud of late, so was the endless attempts to resume domestic football in Egypt. However, authorities are still reluctant to give the green light as security remains to be a major concern since the disastrous incident that took place in Port-Said last February. Meanwhile, Ahli have set the 4th of November as the date for the first game against holders Esperance, who edged four-time champions Mazembe to reach the final for the third year running.
