NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 5 – Whether or not the 2018 African Nations Championship will be held in Kenya or the much touted ‘Plan B’ of either South Africa or Morocco will be known after the CAF Executive Committee meeting in Accra on September 23.
The continental football body is expected to hold its Executive Meeting in the Ghanaian capital from where major decisions, including next year’s CHAN and probably the 2019 AFCON planned for Cameroon will be made.
According to the Football Kenya Federation, CAF cancelled an assessment trip scheduled for this Thursday due to ‘the political situation’ in the country with only second vice president Constant Omari travelling in on Sunday night.
However, Omari left late Monday after news of a fatal road accident that claimed two of his brothers back at home.
“He had come in here basically to assess the political situation in the country after last week’s Supreme Court ruling on the elections. He had a meeting with Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario and Permanent Secretary Peter Kaberia before he left,” Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Deputy Chief Executive Officer Herbart Mwachiro informed Capital Sport.
“He asked tough questions… very tough questions, to which the minister gave responses. He expressed CAF’s concern and that of the sponsors that the election would be coming a bit close to the tournament and whether it would affect the preparations,”
“He took notes, and because he had to leave urgently, there wasn’t much discussion after that. We all attended the meeting with the government and possibly we will get a report from him soon. But basically, we expect the way forward to be known by the 23rd when the EXCO meets,” Mwachiro further explained.
Kenya has been on the spot over late rehabilitation of the proposed venues, all of them starting very late, four months before 15 African national teams descend in Nairobi for the biennial championship for home based players.
FKF continue to have faith that everything will be complete in time with the Nyayo and Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos setting a 14-week deadline for the completion of construction works.
“We have gone all out to ensure we host this tournament. But there are many factors that surround it, not only the construction of the stadia. We will do everything to ensure that what is on our hands is completed and remain optimistic,” Mwachiro further commented.
He adds that in the meantime, the LOC will continue pushing contractors on site to ensure the strict deadlines are met. The lowest expectation is that CAF will assign a new inspection date after their meeting in Accra.
Kenya won the hosting rights for the tournament in 2015 and a year later after the last edition in Kigali, Rwanda were given the hosting instruments in a ceremony at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, attended by Wario himself.
However, it has been sad that the government had to wait close to 18 months before starting work.
