By Samuel Opio
Cameroon have been stripped of the rights to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations on grounds of mainly insecurity according to various reports.
The huge call was taken on Friday during the body’s Executive Committee Extraordinary meeting in the Ghanaian capital Accra.
A report of inspection visits of the security committee to the country from 27th October to the 1st of November 2018, and from 11th to 15th November was reviewed by the executive committee.
Cameroon was awarded the rights in September 2014 under unclear circumstances under the then CAF boss Issa Hayatou, a native of the Central African nation.
According to reports from Accra, the country will not be ready in time to host the 32nd edition of the tournament with construction/renovation work on the six stadiums that were earmarked for the games running late.
CAF will launch a new application procedure to designate another host country. Morocco and South Africa are the two nations that could be considered.
This is the second time the initial host is stripped of the rights. The first was when Equatorial Guinea jumped in at the last moment to host 2015 AFCON after Morocco withdrew.
Thirteen countries have already confirmed their places at the tournament and they are; Cameroon, Senegal, Madagascar, Morocco, Mali, Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Egypt, Uganda, Mauritania, Guinea and Ivory Coast.
The other 11 places will be decided during the final qualifiers in March 2019.
The 2019 AFCON tournament will be the first to host 24 teams. The competition will be held in June and July moving from January and February.
sopio@spyuganda.com
