President of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) Ahmad Ahmad has revealed that a new host for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will be decided and announced in Dakar come January 9.
The continental football governing body has since November 30 opened doors for an alternative destination for the staging of the June 15 to July 13 event after Cameroon were withdrawn as hosts due to delays with preparations and security concerns.
The new hosts for Afcon 2019 will be chosen from a short-list whose submission deadline is December 14.
“Everything will be finalised by December 25 to create a short-list of candidates who have been evaluated and noted,” Ahmad told AFP Monday.
“The executive committee (of Caf) will meet in Dakar on January 9, when we will make a decision,” he added.
South Africa firmly in the mix
Now with the final decision on who will host next summer’s football showpiece expected on January 9, Ahmad also confirmed that South Africa have indeed submitted a letter of intent on stepping in as new hosts.
“According to my information, two or three letters of intent have arrived,” the Caf president said to AFP.
“South Africa is one of the countries to have sent a letter of intention. Two or three countries have made serious inquiries.”
Cameroon 2021
In 2014, then CAF president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon announced the hosts of three successive editions of the biennial tournament: Cameroon (2019), Ivory Coast (2021) and Guinea (2023).
But the decision to ditch Cameroon for 2019 has created a confusing merry-go-round. Ahmad said in an interview last week the Central African country will now host the 2021 edition, originally given to Ivory Coast, who will now host the tournament in 2023.
“In 2021, they [Cameroon] will be ready: we will organise the Afcon in Cameroon. And in 2023 it will be held in Ivory Coast.
“That was the decision taken by the executive committee,” he told African television channel Media TV.
