The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has asked Sierra Leone and Guinea to play African Cup of Nations home matches scheduled for next month in neutral nations as the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola spreads.
CAF also wrote to its other member-associations to inform them of its decision to ask the two countries to relocate their home games in the AFCON qualifiers. Reiterating World Health Organization (WHO) advice, the letter states that the move was “a preventative measure to avoid mass gatherings that could facilitate the spread of the virus”.
The continental football governing body also said the measure would remain in place until mid-September. It means at least the first two rounds of matches, scheduled for September 5th and September 6th and September 10th, will be affected.
Sierra Leone’s September 10th match against the Democratic Republic of Congo will be played in Ghana, the association said in a statement on its website. The site for Guinea’s game on September 5th versus Togo hasn’t been determined. The Ghana Football Association said in a separate on Wednesday that it hasn’t yet approved hosting the match.
The ban on matches in the Ebola-affected nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea will be reassessed in mid-September, the association said. It follows advice from the World Health Organization. The Geneva-based WHO has described the West African outbreak as an international public-health emergency.
Sierra Leone had already said it was not hosting matches until further notice, and it had asked Ghana if it can host its Group D matches there. Liberia cancelled all soccer-related activities last month, including the President’s Cup tournament, and postponed the start of the local league.
Meanwhile, CAF has also moved to allay fears surrounding away fixtures. “Each federation whose country is affected by the virus must ensure their delegations travelling abroad can be examined before departure.
“Each national association receiving delegations must communicate the necessary information delivered by health authorities to ensure the reception of teams… and if necessary to provide additional checks at arrival points,’’ it said. Sierra Leone is due to play Ivory Coast, DR Congo and Cameroon in the last round of qualifying. Guinea’s group also includes Ghana and Uganda.
The qualifying competition runs from early September to mid-November. The qualifying competition will decide the 15 teams to join hosts Morocco at the African Nations Cup finals next January and February.
Ebola has killed more than 1,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since December and may shave off as much as 2 percentage points from economic growth, New York-based risk adviser Teneo Intelligence said in a note today.
Three people have also now died of the virus in Nigeria, the continent’s biggest economy. The Rwanda Football Federation, FERWAFA, has written to CAF to change the venue of a match scheduled to take place in Nigeria, saying it is worried about the threat of Ebola in the country. FERWAFA president, Vincent Nzamwita, expressed concern that players and staff would be uncomfortable sharing facilities with counterparts who may have come into contact with the virus.
Rwanda is scheduled to play their AFCON qualifier against the Super Eagles in Calabar on September 6th. The other two teams in Group A alongside Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Rwanda’s Amavubi are South Africa and Sudan.
