African Cup Of Nations - Morocco Call For Cancellation

[Beefymcfc]

Just reading that Morocco have called for the ACoN to be cancelled due to the EVD. Surely they can't play this with what is going on in Africa?

[Dameerto]

I'd say it would be highly likely that it will be postponed (if not cancelled).

[Beefymcfc]

I'd say it would be highly likely that it will be postponed (if not cancelled).

With what's going on there I can't see this being cleared up overnight. The devastation that it is causing and the sheer size of such an operation to keep the contagion under control would suggest that this won't be just postponed.

The question for me is, why is it only being mooted now?

[nottsblue]

Africa is a big place though. It has been contained mainly to the three countries in West Africa. Not to trivialise this is any way, but we are as close as say South Africa. From a City view I'd love for this to be cancelled as it means we don't lose Yaya.

Can't see the tournament being cancelled. Maybe move it to Qatar to give them some practce

[Beefymcfc]

Africa is a big place though. It has been contained mainly to the three countries in West Africa. Not to trivialise this is any way, but we are as close as say South Africa. From a City view I'd love for this to be cancelled as it means we don't lose Yaya.

Can't see the tournament being cancelled. Maybe move it to Qatar to give them some practce

I understand what you are saying but the likes of the Ivory Coast are just around the corner and with all the deaths, and possible further fatalities, should they be celebrating their football whilst this is going on?

This is no longer seen as an epidemic, it is now becoming pandemic with many of the growth nations providing support and assistance to ensure it doesn't spread further. Not to sound too over the top but this is becoming a world event and countries who have kept them at arms length are now realising more needs to be done, just to protect themselves.

[nottsblue]

Africa is a big place though. It has been contained mainly to the three countries in West Africa. Not to trivialise this is any way, but we are as close as say South Africa. From a City view I'd love for this to be cancelled as it means we don't lose Yaya.

Can't see the tournament being cancelled. Maybe move it to Qatar to give them some practce

I understand what you are saying but the likes of the Ivory Coast are just around the corner and with all the deaths, and possible further fatalities, should they be celebrating their football whilst this is going on?

This is no longer seen as an epidemic, it is now becoming pandemic with many of the growth nations providing support and assistance to ensure it doesn't spread further. Not to sound too over the top but this is becoming a world event and countries who have kept them at arms length are now realising more needs to be done, just to protect themselves.

Think the authourities will give themselves as much time as they can before cancelling a tournament. Whether this is dubious for football reasons is open to debate. Like you say, thousands have already died and many more probably will, making any football played an irrelevance. For humanitarian reasons it shouldn't be staged.

However, when did FIFA ever give a fuck about anything but making money

[BlueinBosnia]

Africa is a big place though. It has been contained mainly to the three countries in West Africa. Not to trivialise this is any way, but we are as close as say South Africa.

That's a good point. There is a good chance that all 'high risk' nations will have been eliminated in the qualifiers. These are going on at the moment, with Guinea playing a double-header with Ghana, and Sierra Leone against Cameroon, although home games for the affected countries have been moved to neutral venues.

[PeterParker]

I don't think it will be cancelled.

If you recall in 2012, we had the wars in Libya, Egypt, etc and the competition went and was played. Plus, 2010 i think, when the Togo national teams bus was shot by rebels while going to Angola.

[Beefymcfc]

Some good points there and it looks like the powers that be don't really give 2 chuffs about their people and will stage the event whatever the situation. In fact, didn't they even play it 2 years on the trot a few years back?

[PeterParker]

Some good points there and it looks like the powers that be don't really give 2 chuffs about their people and will stage the event whatever the situation. In fact, didn't they even play it 2 years on the trot a few years back?

Yes, but they did that to change the system.

Basically, they wanted to change the even and odd year for the competition to be held when the World Cup or European Championship is not held. Like Copa America is and the Asian Cup.


PS: Just Googled and the African Cup of Nations Starts in 17 january and Asian Cup in 9 january. Madness. How the hell do they allow two big continental competitions to be held at the same time?

[DoomMerchant]

PS: Just Googled and the African Cup of Nations Starts in 17 january and Asian Cup in 9 january. Madness. How the hell do they allow two big continental competitions to be held at the same time?

dolla dolla bills y'all.

cheers

[Blue Since 76]

Many more will die of malaria or a lack of clean water or starvation every year than will die of Ebola, so I don't see there being a humanitarian reason not to play it. If we cancelled sporting events for every tragedy, there'd be no sport. And whilst it'd be nice for FIFA to do something for the affected countries, the tournament doesn't happen until January, so if the international community hasn't done something by then, I don't think we can blame FIFA for being the heartless ones.

It may be decided that encouraging travel within Africa is a bad idea, meaning it gets cancelled, but I'd really hope they'd contained this by then. Maybe the fact that a number of westerners now appear to have caught it might mean we actually see something being done to help Africa.

[sheblue]

It wont be cancelled too much money will be lost.

[Bluez]

Many more will die of malaria or a lack of clean water or starvation every year than will die of Ebola, so I don't see there being a humanitarian reason not to play it. If we cancelled sporting events for every tragedy, there'd be no sport. And whilst it'd be nice for FIFA to do something for the affected countries, the tournament doesn't happen until January, so if the international community hasn't done something by then, I don't think we can blame FIFA for being the heartless ones.

It may be decided that encouraging travel within Africa is a bad idea, meaning it gets cancelled, but I'd really hope they'd contained this by then. Maybe the fact that a number of westerners now appear to have caught it might mean we actually see something being done to help Africa.

The difference with Malaria, water and starvation is that they are actually preventable/ treatable. Ebola is easily transmitted in a poorly educated environment and there is very little that can be done for you when you get it. Promoting mass people movement and congregating them in football grounds while Ebola is out of control is just plain crazy. All it would need is one or two to pass it on, then everyone flies home.....

[ruralblue]

I don't think football associations will have a say over the matter if it carries on at the rate it's going. Yes it's only in certain areas of Africa at the moment but with internal travel and then mass travel back then it increases risk. A risk I don't think the world health organisation will want to take.

As the point was raised Malaria may well bring more deaths each year but in countries with poor health services and lax vaccinations. On that thought you could say more folks die in this country from alcohol related illness. However the fact remains they have no known cure for Ebola and the death rates continue to rise.

[Dameerto]

It depends what happens in the next two months, if there's no sign the outbreak is dying out I can't see the tournament going ahead in January precisely because of the risk of spreading.

[Blue Since 76]

Many more will die of malaria or a lack of clean water or starvation every year than will die of Ebola, so I don't see there being a humanitarian reason not to play it. If we cancelled sporting events for every tragedy, there'd be no sport. And whilst it'd be nice for FIFA to do something for the affected countries, the tournament doesn't happen until January, so if the international community hasn't done something by then, I don't think we can blame FIFA for being the heartless ones.

It may be decided that encouraging travel within Africa is a bad idea, meaning it gets cancelled, but I'd really hope they'd contained this by then. Maybe the fact that a number of westerners now appear to have caught it might mean we actually see something being done to help Africa.

The difference with Malaria, water and starvation is that they are actually preventable/ treatable. Ebola is easily transmitted in a poorly educated environment and there is very little that can be done for you when you get it. Promoting mass people movement and congregating them in football grounds while Ebola is out of control is just plain crazy. All it would need is one or two to pass it on, then everyone flies home.....

As I said, if it's still in the state it's currently in, you'd probably have to cancel it on health grounds. And whilst Ebola isn't treatable yet, it is pretty preventable with clean water, decent sanitation etc. Maybe if we ever fix Africa's problems, we might be able to reduce the risk of these sorts if diseases wiping us all out. Win win.

[Nigels Tackle]

Many more will die of malaria or a lack of clean water or starvation every year than will die of Ebola, so I don't see there being a humanitarian reason not to play it. If we cancelled sporting events for every tragedy, there'd be no sport. And whilst it'd be nice for FIFA to do something for the affected countries, the tournament doesn't happen until January, so if the international community hasn't done something by then, I don't think we can blame FIFA for being the heartless ones.

It may be decided that encouraging travel within Africa is a bad idea, meaning it gets cancelled, but I'd really hope they'd contained this by then. Maybe the fact that a number of westerners now appear to have caught it might mean we actually see something being done to help Africa.

The difference with Malaria, water and starvation is that they are actually preventable/ treatable. Ebola is easily transmitted in a poorly educated environment and there is very little that can be done for you when you get it. Promoting mass people movement and congregating them in football grounds while Ebola is out of control is just plain crazy. All it would need is one or two to pass it on, then everyone flies home.....

As I said, if it's still in the state it's currently in, you'd probably have to cancel it on health grounds. And whilst Ebola isn't treatable yet, it is pretty preventable with clean water, decent sanitation etc. Maybe if we ever fix Africa's problems, we might be able to reduce the risk of these sorts if diseases wiping us all out. Win win.

why fix problems that you can make money from!?

make it worse...

[Fidel Castro]

Africa is a massive continent. I'm sure some people just see it as one country. How would ebola in Sierra Leone or Liberia affect people in Morocco, Tanzania or Zimbabwe?

[Dameerto]

Africa is a massive continent. I'm sure some people just see it as one country. How would ebola in Sierra Leone or Liberia affect people in Morocco, Tanzania or Zimbabwe?

Ask them after an infected person has travelled there, mingled with a crowd of 50k, and then started showing signs of the illness afterwards. It would be impossible to contain in those circumstances as there would be no way to track down everyone the infected person had come in contact with, and something contained to west Africa would suddenly have a chance of breaking out.