The Confederation of African Football (CAF) says there are no changes to the dates or schedule of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), despite a request from hosts, Morocco, to postpone the tournament.
Morocco’s government has written to the CAF to delay the January 17, to February 8, event because of the Ebola outbreak.
CAF said it will discuss the request at the next meeting of its executive committee on November 2, while its president, Issa Hayatou, will meet Moroccan officials the next day.
More than 4,000 people have died in the Ebola epidemic that broke out in west Africa at the start of the year.
The Morocco health ministry made its plea last Friday in the wake of its decision “to avoid events which involve those countries affected by the Ebola virus”
Last Saturday, CAF responded in a statement that read: “CAF has registered the request and wishes to state that there are no changes of the schedules of its competitions and events.
“It must be noted that since the first edition in 1957, the Africa Cup of Nations has never witnessed a deferral or a change in schedule.
“CAF has also been cautious since the commencement of the final round qualifiers of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations on the health risks posed by the Ebola virus and has consistently applied precautionary principles, taking into account the recommendations of the World Health Organisation and various medical experts.”
