Ethiopia have opted to host their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Group D match against Mohamed Salah-led Egypt in Malawi on June 6 2022.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) Developmental Director Raul Chipendo confirmed to have accepted Ethiopia Football Federation’s request to entertain the Pharaohs at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.
“Please note that the approved Stadium (BNS) will be set as the venue to host the Matchday 2 Group D Ethiopia vs Egypt related to the group stage qualifiers of the Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Match Day 1,” Chipenda wrote.
Ethiopia, whose Addis Ababa Stadium is unfit to host international matches, face Malawi on June 2 at the same Chinese-funded Lilongwe venue in the group’s opening match.
After that, the visitors will stick around the Malawi capital to welcome the Pharaohs four days later.
Football Association of Malawi General Secretary Alfred Gunda has since welcomed Ethiopia’s decision to render Bingu Stadium their home fortress.
“Ethiopia FA wrote to us a few days ago requesting us to facilitate their use of BNS for home matches. We also engaged the government through the Ministry of sports, and they gave us the go-ahead; therefore, CAF has scheduled the match at BNS,” he told the association’s website.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Malawi to showcase to the world the iconic Bingu National Stadium and the beauty that Malawi, the Warm Heart of Africa, has to offer. It’s a timely opportunity for football to contribute economically with inflows of forex by the visiting teams and supporters from both Egypt and Ethiopia.”
Last week, CAF granted the Lilongwe stadium a temporary approval to host international matches following CAF Zambian Inspector Ivan Lengwe Mumba’s assessment of the Olympic standard 40,000-seater facility.
By Peter Kanjere
