Morocco has announced its decision not to host the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament due to the ongoing Ebola epidemic. The Moroccan government, through the country's Football Association, has informed the continental governing body, CAF, of the development. Furthermore, Morocco has proposed three possible solutions: to postpone the competition until 2016, to host the 2017 tournament in place of South Africa, or to cancel it altogether.
According to the website supersport.com, the Moroccan Sports Ministry explained its decision in a statement: "The CAF refused all of our proposals and for that reason we are withdrawing as host nation of the African Cup of Nations 2015. We wish to assure the security of our citizens and we are ready to assume the consequences." Sudan and Egypt have put themselves forward as alternative hosts, but the option that is gathering most momentum is to move the tournament to South Africa, which has the advantage of its World Cup 2010 infrastructure and could host both the 2015 and 2017 competitions.
The CAF has yet to make any official statement on the situation but it is clear that a replacement host nation will have to be sought if Morocco's stance does not change. A decision over whether to postpone or cancel the tournament is expected to be taken on November 2.
Morocco is geographically some distance from the countries currently battling the Ebola outbreak and offered to host a match between Guinea and Ghana after the fixture was cancelled due to concerns about the epidemic in Conakry.
Another matter is that Morocco is also scheduled to host the 2014 Fifa Club World Cup in December. Real Madrid, as European champions, are due to play in the tournament. It is still unclear as to whether the decision to renounce hosting the AFCON will affect the club competition.
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