CAF Champions League: Al Ahly coach Jess Thorup condemns dangerous crowd incidents after draw with AS FAR | OneFootball

Thorup reacts strongly after heated 1-1 draw in Rabat

CAF Champions League: Al Ahly coach Jess Thorup condemns dangerous crowd incidents after Al Ahly’s draw with AS FAR

Al Ahly head coach Jess Thorup expressed frustration over the crowd disturbances that marred the 1-1 draw against AS FAR on Friday in Rabat during matchday 2 of the CAF Champions League Group B.

Playing at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium, Al Ahly fell behind but equalised through Mahmoud Hassan Trezeguet who scored midway through the second half to secure valuable point away.

Speaking after the match, Thorup acknowledged the difficulty of the fixture:

The game was paused for several minutes after sections of the AS FAR crowd threw water bottles & metal objects onto the pitch including sharp construction tool, captured clearly by TV cameras and widely circulated on social media.

Tensions rose immediately after Al Ahly’s equaliser with scuffles between players before the referee intervened to restore order.

Thorup criticised the incident while praising the stadium atmosphere overall:

"We came to Morocco to win"

Despite the draw, Thorup insisted that Al Ahly’s ambition was all three point:

He added that Al Ahly’s performance in the second half was "much better" and that the team was "very close to winning despite the intensity & atmosphere"

Group B standings tighten

The result leaves Al Ahly at the top of Group B with 4 point, level with Young Africans but ahead on goal difference.

AS FAR earned their first point of the campaign after losing their opener 1-0 to Young Africans while JS Kabylie remain bottom after narrow defeat to Al Ahly in Cairo.