Here Is No Shortage of Dangerous-Looking Designated Hosts Morocco Were So Concerned That They Teams in the Competition
2015 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS AFRICAN FOOT BALL Who will soar in the absence of the Super Eagles? NA0115.indb 81 13/12/2014 08:32 Edited and compiled by Colin Udoh Fears, tears and cheers n previous years, club versus country disputes have Ebebiyín might be even more troubling. It is even tended to dominate the headlines in the run-up to more remote than Mongomo, and does not seem to Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. The stories are have an airport nearby. The venue meanwhile can hold typically of European clubs, unhappy about losing just 5,000 spectators, a fraction of the 35,000 that the their African talent for two to three weeks in the national stadium in Bata can accommodate. middle of the season, pulling out all the stops in a Teams hoping to win the AFCON title will have to Ibid to hold on to their players. negotiate far more than just some transport problems. This time, however, the controversy centred on a much After all, although Nigeria and Egypt surprisingly failed more serious issue: Ebola. Whether rightly or wrongly, the to qualify, there is no shortage of dangerous-looking designated hosts Morocco were so concerned that they teams in the competition. The embarrassment of talent requested a postponement, then withdrew outright when enjoyed by the likes of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Algeria the Confederation of African Football (CAF) turned will fill their opponents with fear, while so many of the down their request. teams once considered Africa’s minnows have grown in That is the reason Equatorial Guinea, who had been stature and quality in recent years.
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