Ghana’s sports minister Mahama Ayariga says the West African country is the favourite to win the bid to host the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations thanks to its tight bid presentation to CAF and the enabling environment in the nation.
Ghana is facing an arduous task in in clinching the right to host the competition with formidable countries Algeria and Gabon in the hunt for the prestigious African football tournament.
The three countries are seeking to replace Libya as hosts of the competition after the North African country pulled out because of a civil strife. Ayariga says Ghana stands a good chance winning the bid to host the competition because of its intense lobbying.
“We have gone very far in our lobbying. If you were to ask me who the real contenders are, I would say Ghana. Other countries have made a strong case but clearly Ghana has made a stronger case,” Ayariga told Ultimate FM.
Egypt abandoned the race to host the 2017 African Cup of Nations, handing a major boost to the chances of Ghana hosting the event.
This means that three nominees are still competing to host this event- Algeria, Ghana and Gabon.
The reasons behind this decision were not announced, but yet so predictable. The Egyptian football has suffered during the last years from a lot of violent events in the stadiums.
Recently, a lot of supporters were killed during a first league game which obliged the Egyptian federation of football to suspend the league.
In addition, the political situation in Egypt is not quite stable which will make it harder for this country to host such a big event.
If the information is confirmed, Algeria’s chances to host this competition will get even bigger.
A decision on the competition hosts will be made on April 8.
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