Egypt have submitted a request to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to bring forward the date of the opening African Nations Cup game by one day, an Egyptian Football Association (EFA) official said on Friday.

The tournament, the first to feature 24 tams, is scheduled to kick off on 15 June. Egypt won the Nations Cup hosting rights earlier this month, replacing Cameroon.

“We want the opening match to be held on a Friday [14 June] to guarantee a bigger fan attendance,” Ahmed Megahed told local sports website FilGoal.com.

“CAF should reply soon and I think they won’t mind. We also suggested mid-April as a date for the Nations Cup draw.”

Friday is an official day off in Egypt, which will host the Nations Cup for a fifth time after staging it in 1959, 1974, 1986 and 2006.

The opening match, which will feature the Pharaohs, is scheduled to take part at the 74,100-seat Cairo Stadium.

Soka25east.com