Morocco "has been stripped of hosting the African Nations Cup and
banned from the competition after it requested a postponement of the
tournament due to fears over the Ebola outbreak," according to Martyn Ziegler of the London INDEPENDENT. The Confederation of African Football's exec committee
"took the decision at a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday and decided to keep
the dates as planned for January and February next year." CAF "will now decide between several other bids." Possible replacements as hosts "include Algeria, Angola, Egypt and Nigeria" (
INDEPENDENT, 11/11). In London, Mark Cue wrote Moroccan officials "were concerned that the health of their citizens would be put at risk with up to a million spectators expected to travel to watch some of the continent's biggest names." The World Health Organization "has advised against big gatherings as it battles the epidemic." CAF said that "such fears were exaggerated and that only a limited number of foreign fans travel to the area" (
LONDON TIMES, 11/11). BLOOMBERG's Tariq Panja wrote the biennial event, first played in '57, "has had a troubled history, with several countries either stripped of hosting the event or pulling out after agreeing to stage it." CAF "is currently looking for a new host for the 2017 tournament after Libya withdrew" (
BLOOMBERG, 11/11).
NAMING NAMES?: REUTERS' Mark Gleeson wrote CAF said that it had received "a few applications from national associations confirming their desire to host the 2015 finals on the dates agreed." But "it did not name any of them." No country "has made any public expression of interest." CAF said it would now study the applications and finalise the selection of new hosts “shortly” but did not give a date. African football’s governing body said that "it would seek legal redress from Morocco based on its contractual agreement with the Royal Moroccan Football Federation which was signed in April" (REUTERS, 11/11). In London, Blitz & Blas wrote the government in Rabat "is likely to press its case in front of the Zurich-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, arguing that it is, in effect, invoking force majeure -- a legal clause that allows parties to walk away from a contract." Moncef El Yazghi, a Moroccan sport governance specialist quoted by Le Matin, a Moroccan newspaper "often seen as presenting the government views," said that by reaffirming its commitment to organize the tournament, but at a later date because of the Ebola crisis, Morocco was “already preparing for the legal battle” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 11/11).
