Overview
- Sundowns were prevented from boarding their charter at OR Tambo after Moroccan authorities did not initially grant a landing permit, forcing players and staff to return home and costing the club a full day of travel.
- South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation stepped in to help secure the paperwork and the team departed on a charter the next morning.
- The flight continued via Libreville for refuelling, and club officials received the required documentation about 45 minutes before landing there, allowing the plane to proceed to Rabat and arrive late Wednesday night.
- Sundowns go into the second leg holding a 1-0 aggregate lead over AS FAR, with the return match scheduled for Sunday at 21:00 South African time at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
- The permit row adds to a tense Morocco–South Africa backdrop after the first leg’s VAR failure and stadium violence, and the late arrival could affect Sundowns' acclimatisation and tactical preparation ahead of the final.