The Egyptian Football Association  (EFA) has been asked to provide security guarantees following Ghana’s request to move next month’s World Cup playoff out of Cairo because of safety fears.

FIFA last Friday responded to Ghana’s request to relocate the match to a neutral venue by giving the EFA an October 28, deadline to provide comprehensive security assurances for the second leg of the playoff tie between the countries. The aggregate winners will qualify for next year’s finals in Brazil.

FIFA said it would consider switching the venue for the November 19, match from Cairo if they are not satisfied with the security plans.

“Although all our hopes and wishes sincerely expect that the security situation in Egypt will go back to normal in a definite manner we would need to consider alternatives in the event that this were not the case in November,” FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke wrote in a letter to both associations.  “We will keep monitoring the situation.”

Ghana asked FIFA to move the venue because of the political unrest in the land of th Pharoahs.

Egypt has been thrown into turmoil following the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi on July 3. A move that has prompted his Muslim Brotherhood movement to organise daily demonstrations in cities across the country, with some escalating into attacks on the security personnel.

“We are seriously concerned about the security and safety of our delegation and spectators if the match would be played in Egypt as events in the country pointedly indicate that our delegation could be exposed to danger as the violence and insecurity in the country continues relentlessly,” the Ghana Football Association (GFA) wrote to FIFA last week.

Ghana, tomorrow, host the first leg of the play-off  in Kumasi.