The African football governing body, CAF have agreed to postpone the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Ivory Coast 2023 qualifier between Morocco and Liberia following the earthquake in the North African country which resulted in more than 2,000 people losing their lives and hundreds injured.
The match was initially scheduled to take place on Saturday 9 September 2023 at 19H00 (Morocco Time) in Agadir, Morocco.
A man stands next to a damaged hotel after the earthquake in Moulay Brahim village, near the epicentre of the earthquake, outside Marrakech, Morocco, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023. A rare, powerful earthquake struck Morocco late Friday night, killing more than 800 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakech. But the full toll was not known as rescuers struggled to get through boulder-strewn roads to the remote mountain villages hit hardest. (AP Photo/Mosa’ab Elshamy)
CAF will announce a new date and details regarding the match in due course.
CAF expressed its condolences to the families who lost their loved ones, the Fédération Royale de Football and the people of Morocco.
There will be a moment of silence before the start of all the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Côte d’Ivoire 2023 Qualifier matches on Saturday 9 September and Sunday 10 September 2023 to acknowledge and honour the people who lost their lives during the tragedy in Morocco.
The Interior Ministry said late Saturday that 2,012 people were killed when the temblor struck late Friday. The toll is expected to rise as rescuers struggled to reach hard-hit remote areas.
The ministry said the highest number of deaths were recorded in Al Haouz province, with 1,293 killed; and Taroudant, with 452.
At least 2,059 people were injured, including 1,404 critically.
The government also announced three days of national mourning.
The magnitude 6.8 quake on Friday was the biggest to hit the North African country in 120 years.
Credit: CAF Communication Department
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