Ghana will be safe in Cairo, says Egyptian FA

Egypt’s soccer association says it will guarantee the safety of Ghana’s team and match officials when they travel to Cairo next month for a World Cup play-off.

Ghana wrote to soccer’s world governing body FIFA asking for the Nov. 19 second-leg tie to be moved to a neutral venue in the wake of recent violence in the Egyptian capital.

FIFA gave Egypt until Oct. 28 to guarantee security for the game, which will determine a place at next year's finals in Brazil, and said it would consider changing the venue if it was not satisfied with the arrangements.

In a letter released to reporters, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA) said: “Egypt is a safe nation and life goes on as normal across the country. We have a definite security plan for the Ghana crew before and after the game, as well as for the security of FIFA members (referees and officials).”

Last week, the Ghana Football Association wrote to FIFA saying: “We are seriously concerned about the security and safety of our delegation and spectators if the match would be played in Egypt as events in the country pointedly indicate that our delegation could be exposed to danger as the violence and insecurity in the country continue relentlessly.”

Ghana host the first leg of the play-off on Tuesday in Kumasi.