2019 AFCON : Morocco backs Cameroon’s bid to host
The Kingdom of Morocco has made a public statement in favour of Cameroon’s bid to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations,AFCON
This comes after reports in 2017 that Morocco could replace Cameroon as hosts of the 2019 football jamboree following doubts over the Central African country’s ability to go on with hosting the tournament.
With this rapprochement,the reigning African football champions,Cameroon has now received a major boost after Morocco threw its support behind her for a sucessful 2019 African football festival.
On Tuesday 6th February 2018, the President of the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) Faouzi Lekjaa, tried to distance his organisation from such a stance. “The kingdom (of Morocco) is alongside our Cameroonian friends,” he said. “We wanted to put an end to rumours making rounds in the media for a while.
This was during the African Symposium on Women’s Football in Marrakech, Morocco on Tuesday 7th February 2018 during a joint press briefing between President of FMFR Fouzi Lekjaa and the President of the Normalisation Committee at the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT),Dieudonné Happi.
The FMRF is at the disposal of the Cameroonian federation to make the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon an African football festival. “So the rumours are over,” added Lekjaa.
The Moroccan also weighed in on the fact that, the relations between King Mohamed VI of Morocco and President Paul Biya of Cameroon are above football manifestations.
“AFCON 2019 will once again be a space for the demonstration of fraternal and deep relations between Morocco and Cameroon, between the Moroccan Federation and the Cameroonian Federation”.
The President of the Normalisation Committee at FECAFOOT on his part said: ” It puts an end to all the rumours. The Kingdom of Morocco and its Football Federation have just demonstrated the African brotherhood, a beautiful lesson that must be the foundation of our common life.”
Nonetheless, Cameroon will still has to convince CAF officials of its readiness to stage Africa’s flagship sporting event, with an inspection crew having undertaken a preliminary visit in January and others scheduled in the near future.https://gavelinternational.org/2019-afcon-cameroon-boosted-by-moroccan-support/
Cameroonians heaved a sigh of relief last year 2017 when CAF President,Ahmad said that Cameroon had “work to do” to convince organisers that it is able to host the tournament.
The 2019 AFCON will be the first in Nations Cup history to feature 24 teams.
Benly Anchunda