Three nations want to replace Kenya as CHAN hosts

A Confederation of African Football (CAF) statement said either Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea or Morocco will be selected to host the CHAN between January 12 and February 4.

Representative Image.

Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea or Morocco will replace Kenya as hosts of the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN), the organisers said Monday.

A Confederation of African Football (CAF) statement said one of the three countries will be selected this month to host the January 12-February 4 tournament.

Original host Kenya fell behind with five-venue preparations for the biennial 16-team tournament, leading it to be stripped of the hosting rights last month.

Morocco, widely regarded as the favourite to replace Kenya, has not hosted a senior CAF competition since the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations.

It was scheduled to stage the same event in 2015, but withdrew fearing visiting supporters could bring the deadly Ebola virus into the north African kingdom.

Equatorial Guinea successfully replaced Morocco at short notice, having co-hosted the Cup of Nations with Gabon three years earlier. The last senior CAF competition held in Ethiopia was the 1976 Cup of Nations.

CHAN is restricted to home-based footballers, giving them international exposure otherwise largely denied because most African national squads are packed with professionals playing in Europe.