The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reaffirmed its rejection of Sudanese side Al Hilal's request to designate Benina Martyrs Stadium in Benghazi as their alternate venue for the second leg of their CAF Champions League quarterfinal clash against Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
CAF clarified that its decision was based on the recommendation of the broadcasting committee, which indicated that the Libyan broadcaster does not meet the necessary technical requirements for coverage.
These requirements include the presence of an Outside Broadcasting (OB) van equipped with twelve cameras of specific standards, in addition to a VAR control room fully equipped with replay and review technology—both of which are essential criteria for the knockout stages of the tournament.
Although Al Hilal had submitted approval from the Libyan Football Federation and reached an agreement with the Libyan broadcaster, CAF remained firm in its decision stating that the Libyan broadcaster does not fulfill the required conditions outlined in the rejection letter.
Due to the limited time available to finalize a venue, CAF has instructed Al Hilal to use Cheikha Boidiya Stadium in Mauritania as their alternate venue, as it was deemed ready by the club’s board of directors. This decision was made to avoid missing the deadline set by CAF’s competitions committee.
CAF’s ruling confirms that Libya is currently ineligible to host knockout-stage matches in the CAF Champions League due to the inability to meet required broadcasting standards.
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