2015 AFRICA CUP - ZAMBIA - KALABA TO LEAD NATIONAL TEAM

Zambia coach Honour Janza has given the captain's armband to Rainford Kalaba after naming his 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

8 Jan 2015
2015 AFRICA CUP - GHANA - NO BOATENG OR MUNTARI IN SQUAD

Ghana's new coach Avram Grant has named his first Black Stars' squad with an initial list of 31 players for January's Africa Cup of Nations finals.

8 Jan 2015
2015 AFRICA CUP - CAMEROON - SONG MISSES OUT ON SQUAD AND QUITS DUTY

Cameroon and West Ham midfielder Alex Song has retired from international football after his exclusion from his country's Africa Cup of Nations squad.

7 Jan 2015
2015 AFRICA CUP - ALGERIA - ABEID AND BELKALEM OUT OF SQUAD

Algeria have confirmed that their Newcastle midfielder Mehdi Abeid and Trabzonspor defender Essaid Belkalem have been ruled out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations because of injury.

6 Jan 2015
2015 AFRICA CUP - GABON - SOKAMBI REPLACES LEMINA

France Under-20 World Cup winner Mario Lemina, who declined a place in Gabon's 2015 Africa Cup of Nations squad, has been replaced by Bonaventure Sokambi.

5 Jan 2015
RISING STARS - CAMEROON - ONANA TO JOIN AJAX FROM BARCELONA

Barcelona youth goalkeeper Andre Onana has signed a pre-contract agreement to join Ajax in July, the Dutch champions announced on Saturday.

4 Jan 2015
2015 AFRICA CUP - GABON - DIDIER NDONG SIGNS FOR FRENCH SIDE FC LORIENT

The 20-year-old midfielder played with Tunisian outfit CS Sfaxien during the 2012-2013 season, and will represent Gabon in the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

3 Jan 2015
2015 AFRICA CUP - EQUATORIAL GUINEA - COACHES - BECKER EXPECTED TO BE THE NEW COACH

Africa Cup of Nations hosts Equatorial Guinea are set to appoint Esteban Becker to replace Andoni Goikoetxea.

2 Jan 2015
HAPPY NEW YEAR

ALL THE BEST FOR 2015

1 Jan 2015
2015 AFRICA CUP - MALI - MAIGA RECALLED TO SQUAD

Modibo Maiga has been named in Mali's 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Equatorial Guinea despite missing all their qualifiers.

31 Dec 2014

2015 AFRICA CUP - CAF - SOUNDS OUT ALTERNATIVE HOST OPTIONS

AFRICA CUP 2015

How the Ebola outbreak has affected African football

• Sierra Leone has suspended all football matches in the county

• CAF has placed bans on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone hosting any international football

• Seychelles forfeited their Nations Cup qualifier rather than host Sierra Leone

 

Last week, scheduled hosts Morocco asked CAF to postpone the January tournament because of fears over Ebola.

"CAF wrote to us and indicated that Morocco had given strong indications they would pull out if CAF did not change the date," Ghana Youth and Sports minister Mahama Ayariga said.

South Africa have been sent a similar letter, seen by BBC Sport.

CAF has stated there are no changes to the schedule of next year's tournament and it would discuss the Moroccan health ministry's request on 2 November before meeting Moroccan officials the following day.

Speaking in an interview with Ghanaian radio station Citi FM, Ayariga added: "CAF also indicated that it was firm on the tournament dates but they will meet the Moroccan authorities and take a decision at that meeting.

"But in the meantime they are writing to a number of countries that they think have the capacity to be an alternative venue… in the event of Morocco actually pulling out."

Almost 4,500 people have died in the Ebola epidemic that broke out in west Africa at the start of the year.

While Moroccan youth and sports minister Mohamed Ouzzine said on Thursday his country had not withdrawn as hosts, he reiterated that they will follow the lead of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has advised against big gatherings in the fight against the Ebola outbreak.

"Our concern is the health of Africa, and based on WHO reports and guidelines, we have to listen," Ouzzine said.

"Zero safety does not exist, but one has to take the necessary precautions so that the coming tournament will be a football feast, bringing together our African brothers, but given the current Ebola situation we don't think such a feast can take place as expected.

"We are talking about the Africa Cup of Nations where we are expecting between 200,000 to 400,000, even one million spectators to converge in Morocco.

"I don't think there is any state or any country that has the necessary capabilities to monitor, check and control the current Ebola situation when faced with these numbers.

"This is our real problem.

We don't have a problem with visiting teams, we have a problem with visitors."

Ouzzine believes the situation is critical and pleaded for a decision to be taken for humanitarian rather than financial reasons.

"If there are fears about the loss of funding and financial commitments, we can always find solutions to these issues - but today is not the day to discuss these things," he said.

"We will discuss these things when we meet with CAF - and we might even debate other options. 

But I beg you, what's the significance of the financial losses compared to human losses? A human being is priceless.

"I can tell you that we will reach a definite decision during our meeting with our brothers from CAF."

 

17 Oct 2014
(BBC Sport UK)

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