Kenya has officially lost the right to host the 2018 African Nations Championship (Chan).
A Caf Executive Committee meeting in Accra, on Saturday September 23, passed a “risk-not-worth-taking” verdict on the East African nation.
It was agreed that Kenya has been slow in organization for the 16-team competition, failed to be forthright with information on the progress of work done and current political situation as some of the reasons to take the January 2018 tournament away to another country.
An inspection team from Caf was in Kenya last weekend and reported that two of the four allotted venues for the Chan – Meru and Eldoret do not look close to being ready anytime soon.
In what appears a move to save face, the government approved a KES 4.2 billion budget to speed up work on the venues for the tournament which had slowed down.
Announcing the Executive Committee’s decision to the press at Tang Palace Hotel in Accra Saturday September 23, Caf President Dr. Ahmad Ahmad said a new bidding process will begin in earnest for interested countries with the announcement of a new host expected to follow in 15 days.
“With respect to the African Nations Championship which will be coming off very soon, we have decided in the supreme interest of football, because there are doubts in various aspects in terms of sporting infrastructure, the atmosphere in Kenya currently which is the prospective host, we cannot take the risk of allowing the country to host that event.
“We have withdrawn Kenya’s rights to host that particular event.
“I’m officially declaring that from tomorrow [Sunday September 24], we will open the bids for countries that wish to organize the Chan 2018.
“In a week, they will manifest their desire to organize with guarantees or assurances from their respective governments. And in ten days, there will be an inspection immediately to those facilities and subsequently, there will be consultations with members of the Executive Committee before the Emergency Committee meeting which will decide who will host the next African Nations Championship.
“Latest, in the next 15 days, we will know the final decision with respect to the hosting country,” Ahmad briefed the press through a translator.
This becomes the second time Kenya has lost the rights to host a Caf competition. They were stripped of the right to host the 1996 Afcon which eventually fell to South Africa on similar grounds.
Morocco and Ethiopia have been highly tipped to slug it out for the new opportunity to host the 2018 Chan tournament.
The 2018 Chan
The tournament restricted to home-based footballers, which will be in its fourth edition, has been slated for January 12 to February 4, 2018.
Countries like Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia have secured qualification to the competition.
Source: Footy-Ghana.com
