AFCON 2015: Postponing tourney deadlier than Ebola –Hayatou

CAF president Issa Hayatou has de­clared that post­poning the AFCON 2015 Nations Cup initially billed for Morocco would be deadlier for the Af­rican soccer governing body than the Ebola dis­ease that is raving parts of West Africa.

Hayatou who spoke to a France-based TV outfit- France 24 said shifting the tournament which is Af­rica’s biggest soccer com­petition would amount to CAF signing its death war­rant.
His words: “We cannot sign our death warrant, be­cause if we postpone this event, it will be very dead­ly for African football. For 57-years, we have patiently built this house, which to­day is the pride of all Afri­cans. We have this festival every two-years and we are not about to leave the opportunity to anyone to destroy the work we have patiently developed over the years.”
Hayatou stressed that CAF would be hurting her sponsors if she goes ahead to shift the 57-year old tournament adding that that would also amount to set­ting a very dangerous pre­cedence.
“A shift in date is impos­sible for reasons you know. We will hurt our sponsors and partners and once you postpone this event, it will open the door for every­body to ask for a delay of any competition and we will no longer be credible and cannot organize any­thing. Everyone will say we are not ready and finally it is CAF that will pay the piper. That is what I told the Moroccans,” Hayatou said.
The ageing CAF boss ex­pressed confidence that the competition billed for early next year will go ahead as planned despite the ebola induced setback. He dis­closed that some soccer federations have indicated interest in taking over from Morocco and that the new hosts will be announced in a matter of days.
CAF has since disquali­fied Morocco from the competition billed to run from January 17 to Febru­ary 8, 2015.