CAF: Cameroon to host 2021 AFCON not Ivoty Coast

Sunday Dec 23, 2018. 17:00

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that Cameroon will host the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals.

Ivory Coast were expected to host the 2021 AFCON, but CAF have since decided to allow Cameroon another chance to host the continental tournament.

A CAF statement read: "During the past two weeks, a strong campaign of misinformation and defamation against the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF), which tends to portray that the decisions made at the last Executive Committee meeting on 30 November 2018 in Accra (Ghana), didn't follow the strict application of the rules and regulations."

"CAF intends not to engage in such sterile debates and controversies that don’t reflect the reality. In that respect, the CAF President refutes statements attributed to him in a section of the media regarding 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). CAF recalls that Cameroon has officially accepted to host the AFCON 2021 through an official letter addressed to CAF and signed by the Cameroonian Head of State, His Excellency Paul Biya."

"The CAF President thus expresses his gratitude to President Biya for his profound understanding. CAF therefore rejects all the unfair and totally unfounded different interpretations. CAF reaffirms that on 30 November 2018; the Executive Committee met in a peaceful atmosphere and took decisions in a free and independent manner, respectful of the statutes and regulations."

"The Executive Committee prudently analysed the reports of several inspection missions, and documentary evidence about the state of the proposed venues by the host countries for the organization of the Africa Cup of Nations. CAF does not accept the misinterpretation of its decisions circulated and still circulating on digital and social media platforms, and regrets attempts to discredit its structures and functions of the Executive Committee."

"CAF hopes finally that reasoning and common sense will eventually prevail and that the values we set since 17 March 2017, strategic measures taken, innovations successfully administered on the Zonal Unions, competition formats and strengthening the structures of National Associations, as well as the quality of its technical frameworks and other innovative projects underway towards the development of African football, will be the powerful foundations of our profound restructuring. CAF reiterates that such negative comments will not distract our objective of building a new CAF, in fairness, justice and truth."