CAF frets over Ebola-clouded event

Cameroonian Issa Hayatou, president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). AFP / FADEL SENNA

JOHANNESBURG // When and where the 2015 African Cup of Nations will be staged should be resolved within days, amid pleas from hosts Morocco to postpone the tournament because of the Ebola epidemic.

The virus has claimed about 5,000 lives this year, almost all in west African countries Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Morocco fear a potential influx of several hundred thousand supporters from the other 15 finalists could spread the disease.

African football body CAF will hold a meeting of their executive in Algeria on Sunday, and 24 hours later president Issa Hayatou will lead a delegation to Morocco for further talks.

CAF are then expected to issue a statement clarifying the situation after weeks of wild media speculation.

A senior African football official, said there were three likely scenarios:

• Morocco back down and agree to original January 17-February 8 hosting dates.

• CAF agree to postpone tournament to mid-2015 or early 2016.

• Talks collapse, Morocco withdraw and CAF seek new hosts.

Unconfirmed reports of midweek meetings involving Hayatou and Moroccan officials led Moroccan daily As-Sabah to claim a deal had been struck to delay the tournament.

This report was swiftly denied by a CAF spokesman as “completely untrue”.

Of the countries approached as possible emergency hosts, Nigeria and Ghana are reportedly undecided while Algeria, Egypt, South Africa and Sudan declined.

The African Cup of Nations is crucial to CAF as each tournament generates US$11.7 million (Dh43m) from TV and marketing rights.

It is the biggest cash injection into the Cairo-based confederation with the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup club competitions earning a combined $10.2m yearly.

Quizzed regarding Morocco being happy to stage the Fifa Club World Cup this December but not the African Cup of Nations, the Moroccan sports minister Mohammed Ouzzine said the difference was the numbers of visiting supporters.

Ouzzine said far more were expected for the African Cup of Nations, “possibly 300,000 or even more”.

“We are not equipped for that and I cannot see other countries being able to ensure checks and controls for such a large number,” Ouzzine said.

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