2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 2ND MATCHES - Results so far

Group qualifiers - 10.09.2014  - DR Congo sweep aside Sierra Leone

10 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP - Hosts Morocco beat Libya in friendly - 2:0

Libya were knocked out of qualifying for next January's Nations Cup finals by Rwanda in the first round.

9 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - SATURDAY'S RESULTS

Congo Brazzaville produced a shock victory in their Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, beating Nigeria 3:2 in their Group A match in Calabar.

7 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - South Africa overcome hosts Sudan

South Africa began their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a comfortable 3:0 win in Sudan in a Group A encounter.

6 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - Friday's results

• Sudan vs South Africa 0:3
• Guinea vs Togo 2:1
• Senegal vs Egypt 2:0

6 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - Saturday's matches

Champions Nigeria begin the defence of their Africa Cup of Nations title by hosting Congo-Brazzaville in Calabar in one of 11 qualifiers on Saturday.

5 Sep 2014
2015 AFRICA CUP QUALIFIERS - GROUP STAGE - 1ST MATCHES - PREVIEW - the qualifying begins

The group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers begins on Friday as 28 countries chase 15 places at January's finals, hoping to join hosts Morocco.

4 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - GAMBIA - Swansea City sign striker Modou Barrow from Ostersunds

Gambian-born Barrow moved to Sweden as a youngster and scored 10 goals in 19 appearances for Ostersunds last season.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - MOROCCO - Aston Villa's El Ahmadi joins Feyenoord

Transfer deadline dayThe 29-year-old played for the Dutch club between 2008-2012, spending the first half of 2011 on loan at United Arab Emirates side Al Ahli.

2 Sep 2014
TRANSFER - IVORY COAST - WEST HAM SIGN BARCA'S SONG ON LOAN

Alex Song on a season-long loan. - "It was a very hard decision when you have options of a lot of clubs who are playing in the Champions League, but at the end of the day I chose West Ham because I wanted to come to the Premier League."

2 Sep 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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