CAIRO — Tunisian organizers have been allowed to change the kickoff time for a continental cup final this weekend to give fans the chance to attend after a state of emergency was declared and a curfew imposed because of Tuesday’s deadly bomb attack.
The African soccer confederation agreed that Sunday’s second leg of the Confederation Cup final will be played at 3 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) instead of 7.30 p.m.
The Tunisian government declared a nationwide state of emergency and nighttime curfews in certain regions following the blast in central Tunis on a bus carrying members of the presidential guard. Thirteen people were killed in the attack, which the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for.
The game between Etoile Sportive du Sahel and South African club Orlando Pirates will be played in Sousse, a city about 150 kilometres (93 miles) south of Tunis and where 38 people were killed last June in an attack at a luxury beach hotel.
Etoile requested the time change and it was approved after consultation with the Tunisian soccer federation and the Ministry of the Interior, CAF said.
The teams drew 1-1 in the first leg of the final in Johannesburg. The Confederation Cup is Africa’s second biggest club competition behind the Champions League.