A CAF delegation led by President Issa Hayatou met Moroccan officials last week in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, before holding a further meeting in the Algerian capital Algiers yesterday. 

A final meeting will be held this morning in the Moroccan capital Rabat with Hayatou empowered to take whatever decision he believes best.

The Moroccan Government has demanded that the 16-team tournament, scheduled to take place from January 17 to February 8, is delayed until June over fears that fans from the region worst affected by the Ebola virus, West Africa, may travel to the host nation.

Moroccan officials have commented that if FIFA can consider altering the hosting date of the World Cup, as is the case with Qatar 2022, then CAF should have no problem postponing the Nations Cup.

But CAF fears that it will be impossible to go back to the traditional January and February dates if the AFCON is moved to June. 

The other option is for CAF to find another host for the finals but the search, so far, has proved unrewarding.

The nation best equipped to pick up the finals at short notice, South Africa, has refused to consider lending Hayatou a helping hand.

Also refusing to help are Algeria, Egypt and Sudan while Nigeria and Ghana are undecided but reluctant.

If CAF do find an alternative host, then it would risk being sued by the Moroccan Government over monies spent on upgrading stadia and support facilities.

The Confederation of African Football is due to meet the Moroccan Government in Rabat ©Getty Images







The Moroccan position has been set out clearly by Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Ouzzine.

Ouzzine has said there could be no equivocation over the Government's demand for a postponement.

The country are due host the FIFA Club World Cup in December but this features only six visiting teams and would not attract fans from other African nations.

"Morocco has a firm will to welcome the next edition of the Nations Cup," said Ouzzine, who confirmed that various alternative dates had been proposed in the hope that later in 2015, the Ebola crisis will have eased.

The virus has claimed 5,000 lives, almost all in West African countries such as Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ouzzine added: "Our demand for a postponement is motivated by the latest WHO report, which contains alarming numbers regarding the extent and spread of the virus.

"Morocco faces a historical responsibility as there has never been such a deadly Ebola epidemic.

"We expect around 300,000 fans for the Nations Cup and we are not equipped for the essential health checks.

"I cannot see any other countries being equipped for so many fans either."

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