AWCON 2018: Sports Ministry insists Ghana not stripped off hosting rights

• Posted on August 27, 2018
• by Ellsamwise King
• Comment

Ghana has not been stripped off the hosting rights for the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, the country’s Ministry of Youth and Sports’ Public Relations Officer, Elvis Adjei-Baah has said.

Reports emerged late Sunday evening that Ghana CAF was on the look out for a new host of the continent’s biennial women’s football competition after officially deciding the West African country was not ready to host the competition scheduled to start in November 2018.

The report, from KweseESPN, went further to quote CAF President, Ahmad Ahmad, as saying that a new host would be decided at CAF’s Extraordinary General Assembly in Egypt next month.

But Adjei-Baah insist Ghana is still host of the competition as the country has not been officially notified of any decision to take the hosting rights from the country.

“We haven’t received any official letter from CAF saying the hosting rights have been taken from us, he said.”

“If there has been a change in the hosting plan, I believe we should be the first to be notified. The Liaison team is also saying they haven’t received any official letter from CAF either. We can’t deal with rumours.

“I only know Ghana has the right to host of the AWCON.

“Until CAF writes to us, Ghana is still the host of the competition.

“I believe Ghana is ready to host this tournament. I will be surprised if CAF take the hosting right from us,” he concluded.

Adjei-Baah went on to suggest that preparations were far advanced to host the rest of the continent in two month’s time.

“We are on the right path to hosting the tournament. Government has committed huge sums of money or funds into the hosting of the tournament.

“The renovation of the Accra Sports Stadium; I don’t know if you have been there recently, but there is an improvement with regards to the renovation that is being done.

“The roofing is currently being done, and I won’t be surprised if it is completed by the close of this month or early next month. The washrooms are being worked on, the stadium pitch is also being worked on, and so are the seats and the various training pitches that will be used.

“As far as we are concerned we are going on with our own preparations, and then come November we can host the rest of the continent.

Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Algeria, South Africa, Zambia, Mali and Nigeria  have already qualified for the 8-team tournament and will be joined by the host.