THE African Football Confederation (CAF)’s withdrawal of Morocco’s rights to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) because of concerns about the Ebola virus is confirmation of the embattled football governing body’s inability to grasp the full danger that Ebola poses not only to the African continent, but to the world as a whole.
There has never been doubt about the risk of hosting the tournament at a time the Ebola pandemic is rapidly spreading across the continent.
Morocco’s refusal to be complicit in the spread of the disease must be understood in the context of the numbers who have perished and its adherence to the health and safety of the public, a point that has eluded CAF.
Ebola has killed almost 5 000 people in recent months and continues to spread in West Africa.
On Tuesday, CAF announced that it had stripped Morocco of the rights to host Africa’s most prestigious football tournament after rejecting the North African’s request to postpone tournament to a later date.
Morocco had since early October said its call for the postponement was ‘dictated by health reasons of the most dangerous kind, linked to the serious risk of the spread of the deadly Ebola pandemic’.
Despite this, CAF called on the Moroccans to change their minds, but decided on Tuesday that the response they had been given ‘clearly indicates that the Royal Moroccan Football Federation reiterated its refusal to hold the competition on the dates indicated’.
“Therefore, having firmly and unanimously notified on November 3 its decision to keep the competition on the dates indicated, the Executive Committee confirmed that the Orange Africa Cup of Nations 2015 will not take place in Morocco,” said CAF.
With chances high that the 2015 edition of the AFCON might not find takers for the tournament slated for January 17-February 9, CAF might be forced to change their stance if there is still a thing called logic at their organisation.
Among those countries which are reportedly not interested in replacing Morocco at such short notice are South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan and Ghana, while there has been no public response from reigning champions Nigeria, Supersport reported on Tuesday.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with Ebola; the virus is not transmitted through the air (like measles virus).
With research suggesting that around 70 percent of those infected in the latest Ebola outbreak will die of the disease, Morocco has every reason to call for the tournament to be postponed.
Below are some statistics that CAF should take into consideration in light of its incomprehensible decision that the tournament should go ahead.
In the 2013 AFCON edition which was hosted by South Africa 857 000 tickets were sold.
The average attendance was 22 313 per match.
According to released figures, there was an attendance of 729 000 for the three weeks 32-game tournament which translated to an average of 22 131 per match.
In the 2008 edition held in Ghana, the attendance was 714 000, an average of 22 313 per match.
In 2010 when it was held in Angola, the attendance was 543 500, an average of 18 741 per match.
In 2012 when it was co-hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, the numbers dropped drastically to a total attendance of 456 332 – an average of 14 260 per match.
Compared to a FIFA event, the 32-team 64-game 2010 FIFA World Cup, incidentally held in South Africa, the numbers were much higher.
The attendance was 3 178 856, an average of 49 670 per match.
With stadiums being high risk zones for the spread of the disease, there are many questions that CAF president Issa Hayatou should answer.
Why is Hayatou pushing for the tournament to go ahead despite the Ebola pandemic spreading across West Africa?
Is it greed or pursuance of selfish interests?
Yes Morocco is right, CAF is run by people who don’t even know how to make money.
To its credit, Morocco stood its ground and showed CAF how things should be done by refusing to meet a deadline to confirm it will go ahead with the hosting of January’s African Cup of Nations finals.
CAF had disregarded Morocco’s request for the postponement of the January tournament to a further date.
They stood by that position until Tuesday’s illogical decision by CAF.
Morocco officials, who want the 16-team event postponed, said they had rejected a November 8 ultimatum set by CAF to confirm their hosting of the continental championship.
The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports in October requested the postponement of the January tournament and met on Monday with officials in Algiers to discuss the issue further.
The virus already has affected AFCON qualifying games, with several matches relocated. 
Shockingly, CAF unanimously agreed to maintain its previous stance that would have seen the tournament take place as planned from January 17 to February 8, giving the host nation until Saturday to clarify its position.
“The Executive Committee of CAF confirms its commitment to keep the competition on the dates indicated, while asking the Royal Moroccan Football Federation to clarify the position of Morocco no later than 8 November, 2014,” a CAF statement read. 
“This time given also applies to all other CAF national associations wishing to organise the competition on the dates agreed as long as the hosting requirements are met.”
The statement went on to reiterate their confidence in Morocco’s health system.
“Of the three countries where the epidemic is prevalent, only Guinea retains a chance of qualifying for the final tournament of the Orange AFCON 2015,” it continued. 
“In addition, Guinea hosts its home games in Casablanca and has adhered to a strict health protocol implemented by Morocco that has so far showed no flaws.
“Almost all of the fans attending the Orange AFCON are residents in Morocco, and considering the average purchasing power in most African countries, it is unrealistic to expect more than 1 000 supporters from the rest of continent to attend the AFCON 2015, except for those who benefit from a geographic proximity within the Maghreb region. 
“Therefore, CAF considers that the current health system in place in Morocco, and whose effectiveness has been proven, is more than able to cope with the very limited flow of people for the Orange AFCON 2015.”
But its not only about the sound health system Morocco has, it is also about the numbers who will flock to the North African country to watch the tournament.
Why can’t CAF push the tournament to June when most of the European-based players who will for obvious reasons be stopped by their respective clubs from coming to Morocco will be available?
With leaders like Hayatou there is no doubt that our game is doomed.
Let those with ears listen.