2019 AFCON:

CAF President Assures Cameroon Will Host 

By Ndjodzefe Nestor

President Biya, CAF president Ahmad and Samuel Eto’o

The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad assured that Cameroon will host 2019 African Cup of Nations (Afcon). This assurance has put to rest romours which made rounds that CAF was considering withdrawing Cameroon’s hosting rights.

            Ahmad, who met Cameroon’s president Paul Biya on Tuesday said the continental football governing body has no alternative plans for tournament hosts despite persistent fears that the 24-team competition could be moved to Morocco.

            “CAF has never considered withdrawing Afcon from Cameroon,” Ahmad told reporters after meeting with President Paul Biya on Tuesday October 2, 2018.

            The Caf president was accompanied by his second vice president, Constant Omari, Cameroon’s normalisation committee President Deuidonne Happi and Cameroon football legend Samuel Eto’o and was received on arrival by the Cameroon minister of Sports and Physical Education, Bidoung Mkpatt.

            Afcon 2019 is scheduled to be hosted by Cameroon but last week, CAF said it will only decide on Cameroon’s ability to host the competition after the presidential election in the country. However, Ahmad said the decision to host the competition or not rests with Cameroon.

            “It is left to Cameroon to tell us. We are not the ones organizing (the competition). It is Cameroon that is hosting the competition. It’s only Cameroon that can say tomorrow that “we are ready or give us more time we are not ready.” It depends on Cameroon not CAF,” Ahmad said.

            Ahmad’s declaration comes few days after the continental soccer body said it had deferred the final decision on whether Cameroon would host the 2019 Afcon.

            CAF has expressed worries in the past about Cameroon’s readiness to host the championship citing delay in construction of stadiums and an armed insurgency in progress in the English-speaking regions of the country.

            Afcon 2019 will be held from June 15 to July 13, according to CAF. It will also be the first Afcon expanded from 16 to 24 teams.

            Increasing the field of the Nations Cup and switching its hosting to mid-year were among reforms announced last year in a major overhaul of the African game.