CAF Turns Down Morocco’s Request To Reschedule Afcon 2015 Over Ebola

So Morocco on Friday called for the postponement of the African Cup of Nations it is due to host next year.

The government wants to ‘to avoid events which involve those countries affected by the Ebola virus’.

The Confederation of African Football however says that it has no interest in moving the dates for the continent’s showpiece event which is scheduled for 17 January to 8 February next year.

We would like to note that since the first edition of the Africa Cup in 1975, this cup has never been delayed or cancelled.

The request will be discussed at the next meeting of Caf’s executive committee on November 2 in Algiers which will be followed a day later by a meeting between Caf and Morocco.

What do we think of Caf’s decision? There are two sides to it. A postponement would be deadly and set a precedent for other decisions of a similar nature to be made. It will also have implications on other sports and unwillingness to fulfill fixtures and the sort. It adds to a growing narrative of a better section of Africa than the other.

The other side is that ebola situation is pretty extraordinary. It is real and until it is contained it is a danger to everything. We might need to err towards caution for the sake of human lives.

It’s a difficult call but tell us what you think, in the comments below.