Egypt vs. Ghana World Cup 2014 Qualifiers Second Leg: Could Ghana Forfeit Match for Safety Reasons?

Could Ghana forfeit the second leg of World Cup qualifiers against Egypt?

After a 6-1 win over Egypt, Ghana has a decisive advantage heading into the second leg in Cairo. However, if the comments of the Ghanese are any indication, the opposition is afraid and could consider forgoing the game all together.

"My strongest conviction is that the match should be moved away from Cairo because I think security is seriously compromised in Cairo and the situation keeps escalating day in day out," Ghana Football Association President Kwesi Nyantakyi said, according to Ahram Online. "We cannot risk the lives of our players, officials and supporters by going to Cairo, I do not think that any life lost is replaceable and so in the interest of fairness and security it is better for FIFA to look outside Egypt for a venue for the match."

FIFA has already stated that the match will take place in Cairo as originally planned so the option of changing venues is unlikely. The game will be played without fans after FIFA banned Egypt's supporters for violent displays in previous matches.

This leaves Ghana with an interesting opportunity of quiting the match all together. If Ghana refuses to go, then it will likely be considered a forfeit and Egypt would be gifted a 3-0 win. That would not level the aggregate and Egypt would still be eliminated from contention. However, the Egyptians might appeal the decision and force the game to either be replayed or for Ghana to be eliminated for not complying with FIFA mandates.

This development is possibly the most exciting aspect of a matchup that is likely headed for an anticlimactic finish.