CAIRO
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has refused to change the date set for the upcoming African Cup of Nations (CAN) tournament, giving Morocco five days to decide on whether or not it would host the competition.
In a Monday statement, the CAF said next year's competition would be held at the scheduled time, from January 17 to February 8.
The Cairo-based football body gave Morocco until November 8 to clarify its final position regarding whether or not it would host the tournament.
Citing fears of the deadly Ebola virus, Morocco has called for delaying the football championship, hinting that the country would most likely not host the event.
In recent months, Ebola – a contagious disease for which there is no known treatment or cure – has killed at least 4,951 people in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
The virus has also reared its head in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in a handful of other countries outside Africa.
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