Kenya to host first major CAF event in 2018
KENYA have been confirmed as hosts for the 2018 African Nations Championship (Chan) by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
It is seen as a consolation for the east African nation after they missed out on getting their name into the hat for consideration for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament.
The decision to award Kenya the event was made at a CAF executive committee meeting at the weekend, but was only announced yesterday.
“The CAF executive committee has designated Kenya as host of the 2018 African Nations Championship following receipt of necessary government guarantees and complete dossier, including the required infrastructure and security,” CAF said.
Security might be of concern in a volatile part of the world that has seen terrorist attacks in the recent past, most notably when at least 72 people died after a shooting at an upmarket shopping mall in Nairobi last September.
It will be the first time that Kenya have been asked to host a major CAF competition, with the continent ’ s elite Africa Cup of Nations never having been taken to the East African region before.
The 2018 Chan will be the second successive time the tournament has been staged in the region, though, with Rwanda set to host the 2016 event.
SA successfully hosted the 2014 competition that was won by Libya.
The Chan tournament is only open to players that ply their trade in their domestic leagues and is played in the years in between the Afcon finals.