By Andrew Warshaw
April 9 – Gabon have been chosen to host the seemingly perennially troubled Africa Cup of Nations in 2017 as a replacement for war-torn Libya who withdrew last year.
The 2012 co-hosts won a vote by the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) executive committee ahead of Algeria and pre-ballot favourites Ghana, ending a long saga to find a venue.
CAF did not make details of the secret ballot available but will hope the event runs far more smoothly than this year’s finals in Equatorial Guinea which replaced Morocco after the north African country pulled out without CAF’s blessing because of fears over the spread of the Ebola epidemic.
Although Ghana were strongly tipped to land the 2017 tournament, local reports suggested that since the Francophone countries of Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Guinea were organising the next three CAF events, an Anglophone nation should have the chance to host the flagship competition in 2017.
South Africa were originally selected as 2017 hosts but swapped with Libya who were supposed to stage the 2013 event (for which Gabon also bid) but had to pull out because of the violence in the country that followed the toppling of Moammer Kaddafi.
With the country still racked by fighting, Libya were forced to withdraw as 2017 hosts as well, resulting in another ballot.
The draw for the qualifying tournament of 2017 has also been held, significant for the fact that Morocco and Tunisia were both included.
Because of their stance over refusing to stage this year’s Nations Cup in January in February, Morocco had been banned by CAF from taking part in the next two editions of the tournament. But after winning their appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport they were duly placed alongside Cape Verde, Libya and Sao Tome.
Tunisia, who avoided a CAF ban themselves after apologising for accusing the governing body of bias, will face Togo, Liberia and Djibouti.
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