Cameroon has been stripped off the hosting rights for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations – AFCON 2019, following Caf Executive Committee’s meeting in Accra, Ghana on Friday.
The decision was taken following the Cameroon’s inability to meet up with the required standard for the AFCON 2019 tournament billed for June 2019.
According to Caf president Ahmad Ahmad, the football body will work to ‘determine a new organizing country for AFCON 2019 by the end of the year’.
Ahmad had quelled claims that Cameroon would not be stripped of their AFCON 2019 hosting rights insisting that no country has been penciled down as a replacement.
CAF President, Ahmad: 2019 AFCON Hosting Rights In Cameroon’s Hands
“But until proven otherwise, I tell you, the Africa Cup of Nations is in Cameroon,” Ahmad had told Camfoot.
“People talk about what they want. For us, that’s it, there is no Plan B so far. Let’s be satisfied with that.”
The central African country’s capacity to successfully host an expanded 24-team tournament came under scrutiny after they were initially handed rights to organise the tournament with 16 teams in 2014.
Also, speculations are rife that the AFCON 2019 could now be staged in Morocco or South Africa.
COMMENTS
This is serious.But why is Africa this way? The duo of Morocco and South Africa have always been there to offer lifeline with their improved and developed facilities.
Why can’t other African countries develop their facilities to the level of South Africa and Morocco, or even better?
Moreover, I had expected Nigeria to step in by offering to host AFCON 2019 as a result of the failure of Cameroon, and thereby playing the ‘big brother’ role and also proving to be the “Giant of Africa”.Lol
Honestly, as much as I want to feel pity for Cameroun, I don’t. In the first place, the hosting right was fraudulently awarded at the 11th hour by the corrupt Isa Hayatou as a parting gift to his country. So much has changed in African football since that sit-tight CAF president (just like their political leader Paul Biya) left African football. Suddenly, Cameroun is no longer winning every Afcon final by hook or crook.
Besides all these, despite all their exploits on the world stage, sporting and allied facilities in Cameroun are sub par. According to reports, apart from stadiums not being ready, there are really no good major roads leading to the stadiums or many standard hotel facilities. Yet they have retained a president that has ruled them for close to 40 years, brutally quells protests from the English speaking region and grabs oil territories from neighboring countries.
Kenya too was stripped of AWCON and it was awarded to Ghana instead. So, no big deal. I like that Ahmad is undoing all the last minute abracadabra by Hayatou.
Who should step in? Morroco has my vote as they have facilities to even host the FIFA World Cup. Besides, Nigeria always do well in tournaments hosted in North Africa.
@ Kel, very insightful bro. Lucid comment I must say.
Thank you.
Why can’t Nigeria host this AFCON. Nigeria has a lot of good standard stadiums to talk about. The Hotels are there also. Then, what is the problem ?
What is the problem is that we are not interested. We have mulitple things to spend money on thqn football. There a million victims of moslem attacks every day. We can use the money to build homes and feed them amd remove them from d streets.
Sir Paschal, every country hosting any major competition faces criticisms from a section of its own public that the money earmarked for hosting the tournament may have been better spent.
Brazil faced it, United Kingdom faced it. But hosting a tournament like the African cup of Nations brings a feel-good-factor to the nation and the “intangible” benefits can be huge .
My only worry would be security concerns because of the boko haram crisis in the north.
Mention any good stadium in Nigeria apart from uyo and sub par asaba stadium (keshi)
Nigeria can not host the nation’s cup. Reasons, insecurity, political uncertainty and lack of infrastructure.
We surely have the infrastructure.
uyo, Asaba, Enugu, kano lagos and Abuja.
That’s six stadiums right there with good hotels around.
However it is an election year and this election is like non other.
The fulanis will kill themselves while others watch them.
The police, Army,civil defence, the yoruba media and the APC on one side versus the talakawas, impoverished, hungry nigerians and the PDP .
We are not politically ready in essence.
That’s my take (joke).
Nigeria can not host except you people want Boko haram to kidnap people and other countries will war us! Nigeria is a no go area
Nigeria can not host the tournament. No good stadiums in Nigeria that withstand the Standard of the championship.
We are not ready for it. Morocco is the right and a perfect country to host the tournament. Next year Afcon is going to be an interesting one. Let’s wait and see. God bless Nigeria!!!