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Morocco refuses hosting 2015 Africa Cup of Nations over Ebola concerns

Morocco made the decision to postpone the 16-nation football tournament, scheduled for January 17-February 8 in 2015, as it wanted to avoid holding an event with countries with registered Ebola cases

RABAT, October 16. /TASS/. The authorities of Morocco decided against holding next year’s Africa Cup of Nations biennial football championship, citing concerns over the outbreak of deadly Ebola virus in West Africa, local media reported on Thursday.

Morocco claims that it made the decision to postpone the 16-nation football tournament, scheduled to run between January 17 and February 8 next year, as it wanted to avoid holding an event involving countries where Ebola cases were registered, as well as to prevent the expansion of the deadly virus.

Issa Hayatou, the president of the African football’s governing body CAF (the Confederation of African Football), was expected to arrive in in the South Africa Republic on Thursday in order to find a solution to the problem.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Tuesday that the Ebola epidemic was spreading geographically and the death toll neared the figure of 4,500, while the number of probable and suspected cases exceeded 8,900.