FIFA rules Cairo safe for World Cup qualifier

First international match since overthrow of Mubarak in 2011

FIFA, the international football governing body, has ruled that Cairo is safe to host the World Cup play-off between Egypt and Ghana on 19 November.

The decision came amid Ghanaian fears for the safety of its players and officials due to the ongoing civil unrest in the Egyptian capital.

FIFA confirmed on 30 October that the game would go ahead at Cairo's 30,000-seater, military-owned 30 June Stadium, formerly known as the Air Defense Stadium.

The football governing body said that the tense situation in Egypt had "turned back to normal," according to a statement from the Ghana Football Association (GFA). Compounding Ghana's concerns is the fact that its team is expected to win on aggregate, knocking Egypt out of a chance to participate in next year's World Cup in Brazil.

The Ghana-Egypt game will be the first international football match played in Cairo since the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

FIFA also gave its approval to Egyptian authorites to allow fans to attend the game. Most soccer games in Egypt have been played without fans since clashes at a club game in Port Said in February 2012 resulted in the deaths of 70 people in a riot.