Nigeria Won’t Host 2015 Nations Cup

Nigeria has ruled itself out from hosting the 2015 Africa Nations Cup after the Confederation of African Football disqualified Morocco from the event billed for January/February next year.

The Moroccans were reluctant to host the continent because of their fears over the Ebola outbreak in some other countries on the continent. Morocco, which last staged the finals in 1988 and which would host FIFA’s Club World Cup next month, had asked for the competition to be shifted to either June 2015 or January 2016.

After series of meetings, CAF rejected their proposal and instead expelled them.

And since the North Africans first made public their desire to have the date moved, several countries have been listed as standby venues. Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana were on the original list. The list has since expanded to include Algeria, Angola and Equatorial Guinea. On Tuesday, Nigeria was strongly mentioned in most reports across the world as possible hosts but a very highly placed official of the sports ministry, who could have possibly served as the chairman of the local organising committee told The PUNCH that Nigeria would not bid and that was the official position of the government.

He said, “No, we are not in any way asking to take over. Nigeria won’t host the competition and that is the position.”

Many fans of the Super Eagles had seen the chance of hosting as a very wide window of opportunity to get a slot in the finals of the 16-team competition following the Eagles’ precarious position in Group A of the qualifiers. Nigeria is trailing behind South Africa and Congo in their group with just two matches left to conclude the qualifying series.

And in the Eagles camp in Abuja, team goalkeeper and captain Vincent Enyeama and returnee Villareal of Spain striker Ikechukwu Uche missed the only training session held on Tuesday. They were the last players to arrive in camp ahead of the crucial Nations Cup qualifier against Congo on Saturday in Point Noire.

The two players are however expected to be available for Wednesday’s session that will again be conducted by coach, Stephen Keshi. The list of the foreign-based players in Abuja are Elderson Echiejile, Efe Ambrose, Ahmed Musa, Emmanuel Emenike, Juwon Oshaniwa, Kenneth Omeruo and Mikel Obi. The others are Austin Ejide, Raheem Lawal, Godfrey Oboabona, Hope Akpan, Omatsone Aluko, Sunday Emmanuel, Aaron Samuel and Ogenyi Onazi.