The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Ahmad Ahmad, rejected any idea of withdrawing the hosting of the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AfCON) from Cameroon, saying CAF had “never thought of” such a move.Speaking to the press in Yaoundé on Tuesday, after a one-hour meeting with President Paul Biya, he said that it is Cameroonians themselves who are spreading this rumour and thus smearing the image of their country. According to Ahmad, President Paul Biya has given him “the assurance that Cameroon will be ready” for the tournament. This clarification puts an end to the questions raised by the continental body, which five days ago had questions about Cameroon’s ability to meet the deadlines in its specifications. CAF in a statement in Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt) announced: “The final decision will be taken at the end of November after the last inspection visit of the audit firm Roland Berger and CAF. For the past year, Ahmad has been blowing hot and cold in relation to the AFCON “Cameroon 2019,” saying he is not “sure that Cameroon is ready to organize” the competition; and at another time that “many things are still missing, and there is very little time left.”On another occasion, he argued that “CAF does not have a plan B” to compensate for the country’s inability to host the biggest sports festival on the continent.

Source: Cameroon Daily Journal October 03, 2018 12:00 UTC