Africa Futsal Cup: CAF Executive Committee Meets in Laayoune

The Moroccan Saharan city of Laayoune will host the upcoming meeting of the CAF Executive Committee on the sidelines of Fustal African Cup of Nations 2020 due Jan.28 to Feb.7, said a press release issued by Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).

Futsal is a type of football played on a small, hard-surface court between two teams of five players.

The preparations for the 2020 Futsal African tournament and the next gathering of CAF Executive Committee were at the center of a meeting held lately in Rabat by the FRMF Executive Committee.

Futsal Africa Cup of Nations is a competition gathering best qualifying teams from across the African continent. It is organized by CAF, the governing body of African football.

South Africa, lodged in group A with Morocco, Libya and Equatorial Guinea, decided not to take part in the Fustal over the venue of the tournament, Laayoun.

The sovereignty of Morocco over Laayoune and the rest of the Sahara provinces is challenged by the separatist Polisario Front, which is strongly supported by Pretoria and ruling ANC.

After South Africa’s withdrawal from the tournament, CAF has chosen Mauritius to replace Bafana Bafana.

As stipulated in article 80 of the regulatory provisions, if a qualified team withdraws before the start of the final tournament, it is replaced by the team that comes next in the group’s classification.

The president of the Mauritian Football Federation, Soubha Samir, said he was proud of the choice of CAF. “It is an honor to participate in CAN Futsal, because it has been 40 years since we got a participation in a final phase of a continental competition,” he said.

Group A thus includes Morocco, Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Mauritius, while Group B includes Egypt, Guinea, Angola and Mozambique.

The top three teams in the Laayoune venue will represent Africa at the 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup to be held in Lithuania from Sept.12 to Oct.4.