Al Ahly boss Marcel Koller has explained why he is concerned for his players ahead of the upcoming African Football League tournament.
The Egyptian giants will face off against Simba SC in the curtain-raiser of the inaugural competition later this month.
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The first leg of the quarter-final tie will get underway on Friday, 20 October, in Tanzania, with the return fixture taking place in Cairo on 24 October.
However, the reigning CAF Champions League winners face a hectic fixture list this month, with the football calendar also set to feature an upcoming international break.
The Egypt national team, whom a number of Ahly stars represent, will take on Zambia and Algeria on 12 and 16 October, meaning the Pharaohs' clash against their north African neighbours is set to take place just a few days before the Red Devils are expected to fly out to Tanzania. Similar can be said of the team's other international footballers too.
Ahly boss Koller has now bemoaned the scheduling of the African Football League games, claiming that his team will suffer because many of them are international players.
"The dates of the African Football League fixtures are not suitable. The international players, whether Egyptians or other nationality, will suffer because of the dense schedule," he told the Al Ahly's TV channel, per africanfootball.com.
"They did not consider the hard travelling circumstances that face the international players as moving inside Africa takes long hours.
"I cannot judge if my international players would be fit for the Simba game when they join my team after finishing the international camp."
However, in the midst of the Swiss manager's concerns, his club is already guaranteed $1 million (R19.3 million) for their quarter-final spot.
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— African Football League (@afl_africa) September 30, 2023
Meanwhile, relations between Simba and Al Ahly remain smooth, with Tanzania's sports minister Dr. Damas Ndumbaro having made his way to Cairo earlier this week to visit the Red Devils' facilities.
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According to The Citizen Tanzania, the politician, alongside Tanzanian Football Federation officials, have asked Al Ahly to open an academy in the east African country to promote and develop talent in the region.
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