Following CAF’s position that Cameroon is lagging behind in preparations for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, local officials believe the central African nation could meet up and host the tournament slated for mid next year.
At a general assembly in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday, CAF confirmed ‘significant delay’ ahead of the 2019 Afcon, noting that important deadlines had not been met by the Local Organising Committee, but that a final decision will be made at the end of November after the last inspection visit of audit firm Roland Berger and CAF to Cameroon.
Cameroon could be stripped of the hosting right if the report from the final visit returns unsatisfactory, with morocco, Egypt and South Africa waiting to snap up the opportunity.
“A lot has been done in Cameroon already and we are confident that delays would be sorted soon,” president of the Normalisation Committee, Dieudonné Happi, said on Monday.
“As things stand, I can tell you bluntly and safely that Cameroon will be ready by December 31 at the latest.”
With extremist group Boko Haram still active in parts of Cameroon, a joint CAF and FIFA commission is due to visit the country in October to evaluate security issues.
Participating teams of the AFCON have been increased from 16 to 24.
