All Moroccan matches to be played behind closed doors

Renaissance Sportive de Berkane player Mohamed Aziz in action

Thursday Mar 05, 2020. 14:00

Following the first reported case of Coronavirus in Morocco, the country’s football authority (FRMF) have taken the drastic step of ordering that all games in the country be played behind closed doors.

Reuters reports that a “39-year-old Moroccan man coming from the northern Italian city of Bergamo was Morocco’s first registered case of coronavirus on Monday”.

The report continues, “Morocco has cancelled an international agricultural fair, due to take place in April, along with many other cultural and sports events as authorities continue to implement precautionary measures at entry points and hospitals to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Two Moroccan teams will play away in the CAF Champions League this weekend, with Raja Casablanca and Wydad Casablanca both taking leads to their respective second-leg knockout matches against TP Mazembe and Etoile du Sahel respectively.

Meanwhile, the CAF Confederation Cup will see both Hassania Agadir and RS Berkane playing in front of empty stands for their home matches against Al Nasr and Al Masry respectively.

Agadir hold a 5-0 lead from the first leg and should progress comfortably, but Berkane are locked at 2-2 and would have loved home support to help overcome the challenge of their Egyptian opponents.