CAF takes hard line on Morocco

AFCON: HOSTS THROWN OUT OF 2015 TOURNAMENT

No clarity on which country will host the finals next year.

Morocco was thrown out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and stripped of their hosting rights yesterday after refusing to commit to the scheduled dates early next year because of fears about Ebola.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said the tournament would now be hosted by another country. It didn’t announce which one, but said it had received “some applications”.

CAF said the applications from possible replacement hosts were now “under review”.

CAF repeatedly refused Morocco’s request to postpone the African tournament until 2016 because of fears about the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, which has killed about 5 000 people in West Africa. It insisted the continent’s showpiece tournament needed to go ahead on the planned dates of January 17 to February 8.

“Having firmly and unanimously notified its decision to keep the competition on the dates indicated, the executive committee confirmed the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 will not take place in Morocco,” CAF said.

The body’s decision-making executive committee also decided “the national team of Morocco is automatically disqualified” because of their “refusal” to host.

CAF will decide on further punishment for Morocco for breaching its contractual obligations.

CAF had already approached seven countries to act as possible short-notice hosts, including South Africa. South Africa, Egypt, Sudan and Ghana have all indicated they are unwilling to replace Morocco, partly because of Ebola. Nigeria and Angola have also been mentioned as possible hosts.

CAF has not named any countries it is considering as replacements for Morocco.

Morocco wanted the tournament postponed for a year because it feared the possible spread of Ebola through tens of thousands of football supporters travelling for the three-week tournament. It said over the weekend it wouldn’t stand down over its position.

Morocco is scheduled to host Fifa’s club World Cup next month, featuring Champions League winners Real Madrid. The country said it was willing to continue with its hosting duties for that tournament because it didn’t expect many fans to travel from Ebola-affected regions. –