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SA, Morocco front runners to host 2019 Africa Cup of Nations

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South African Football Association (Safa) president, Danny Jordaan, has confirmed that they are ready to host the 2019 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations if they win the bid to host the tournament.

South Africa and Morocco are now front runners to host the continental showpiece after Cameroon was stripped of the rights by CAF in Accra, Ghana, on Friday.

The Safa Congress took a majority decision to entertain the idea of hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Caf executive took a decision in Accra, Ghana, that because of delays in preparation of the Afcon tournament, Cameroon will be stripped of their rights to host the event.

South Africa is the only country on the African continent that hosted the World Cup. However, the country is in dire financial strain.

If South Africa wins the rights to host the tournament, it will be forced to pay a hefty bill to host an event of this magnitude. The plan is to approach government for assistance.

“The congress basically took a three-part resolution; first that the congress agreed that we should bid in principle subject to one; that a business case must be developed and two, an engagement with the government and if the government finally approves and the business plan convinces us, then we will proceed with the next step to submit the bid to Caf,” says Jordaan.

Despite losing in the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in a penalty shootout to Nigeria in Accra, Jordaan lauded  Banyana Banyan for qualifying for the first ever world cup. The tournament takes place in France in 2019.

“We are No.: 2 on the continent in terms of Vision 2022. We said we should be in the top three by 2022. Already we in the top two. So, we very happy with the achievement and so, of course, the quality of the team impressed everybody in Ghana,” says Jordaan.

Banyana have been to the Olympic Games on the last two occasions in 2012 in England and 2016 in Rio, but never to the World Cup.

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