President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Ahmad Ahmad responded to inquiries on whether Cameroon will remain AFCON 2019 hosts.
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations is set to feature 24 teams instead of 16 – a change that has thrown Cameroon’s preparations in limbo as they need to ready six hosting venues instead of four.
“Cameroon will have to work to convince CAF on its ability to host the event. We will send experts and we will decide at the end of their inspection mission,” Ahmad said to local press during his trip to Burkina Faso.
CAF is to send inspection missions to Cameroon and Kenya in late August. The two countries won hosting rights to the AFCON 2019 and African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2018, respectively, but indications are they could both be stripped of hosting rights.
Ahmad continued, “We have decided that it is no longer the CAF Executive Committee who will inspect the countries selected for the organization of the AFCON. It is now the experts who will do it and CAF will decide based on their report.”
The AFCON 2019 qualifications, which kicked off on 22 March, will see the top two teams from each of the 12 groups qualify for the tournament set to be held in June and July.
Egypt, who were drawn in Group J along with Niger, Swaziland, and Tunisia, have lost their group opener to Tunisia.
King Fut