Mounting pressure from experts and civil society groups might force Ghana to reconsider its decision to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2015 after another potential host, South Africa, openly rejected the offer to host the tournament due to the Ebola scare.
SAFA president, Danny Jordaan, dismissed talk of South Africa hosting the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.at the weekend by stating categorically that, "AFCON 2015 will not be held here. That issue does not exist," Jordaan said at a press conference at SAFA House.
“The issue being raised whether South Africa is the Plan B is neither here nor there because Morocco are the official hosts of AFCON 2015. That talk of us being Plan B is unfair,” said Jordaan, adding that CAF had asked South Africa together with six other African countries whether they would come in should Morocco pull out.
“CAF will be meeting with Morocco next month [November 3] to find the way forward. And with regard to the Ebola virus, we must all be conscious of this pandemic and put strict measures in place. That is what every country must do, it is a deadly disease which must be fought collectively,” added Jordaan.
Jordaan’s position was corroborated by the Sports Minister, Fikile Mbalula, in a statement which bordered on speculation that South Africa may host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
"Our major concern of course remains the cost implications of such a tournament when South Africa is currently grappling with its own fiscal challenges. A tournament of this nature, if planned outside the normal budgetary cycle, will require budgetary adjustments, a process that is currently not an option.
"The tournament, as is also a concern for Morocco and many other countries in the world, may also pose a challenge as to how we can grapple with the Ebola challenge engulfing the continent at the moment.”
Back home, the Director of Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), Prof. Kwadwo A. Koram, has cautioned Ghana against entertaining the idea of hosting the 2015 African Cup of the Nations (AFCON 2015) as the Ebola death toll rises.
Prof. Koram, a renowned epidemiologist and current Director of the NMIMR, stressed on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme last Saturday that the country was not prepared for an Ebola outbreak, and cautioned the authorities to be careful in considering CAF’s proposal to host the tournament because of the deadly nature of the virus that kills seven out of 10 victims.
In a related development, OccupyGhana, a pressure group, has also cautioned the government not to consider CAF’s proposal to switch the AFCON to Ghana due to a number of reasons.
Last week, CAF wrote to Ghana through the Ghana Football Association to consider hosting the tournament.
