[ 2014-10-20 ]

I haven’t decided we host AFCON 2015; I don’t want Ebola in Ghana – Mahama
Ghana has not decided to host the Africa Cup of
Nations for 2015, President John Mahama has
clarified.

He told Ghanaians in the United Kingdom where he
is visiting that: “We haven’t taken a decision
to host”.

“I am President of Ghana, I chair cabinet. No
such decision has been taken by cabinet advising
me to accept to host”.

The President’s clarification follows an
avalanche of civil society opposition to comments
by Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga that the West
African country had the capacity to host the AFCON
in January 2015 should original host, Morocco,
decide to pull out due to fears over the deadly
Ebola Virus Disease.

Morocco has asked CAF to consider postponing the
event, but the African football body insists on
holding the game per the original schedule. It has
written to Ghana and South Africa to consider
hosting in the stead of Morocco, should the North
African country pull out.

Ghanaian civil society groups including
OccupyGhana, Christian Council, and an adhoc
anti-Afcon 2015 social media group, fear Ghana
could be importing the haemorrhagic fever into the
country if it accepts to host the game.

President Mahama, however, said: “I want to tell
you that we will take the best interest of
Ghanaians at heart. As President, I don’t want
to see Ebola spread to my country and so if
Morocco expresses concern that that is one of the
concerns for which they want a postponement, we
are going to look at that carefully before we host
AFCON or not, but certainly 2017 we are putting in
a bid for it”.

Source - Starrfmonline

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