The Sudanese Cabinet has decided to reject to host Africa Cup of Nations, slated for 17 January to 8 February, due to the Ebola outbreak.
The cabinet mandated Ministry of Youths and Sports to inform Sudan’s Football Association of the decision, said Health Minister Bahar Idris Abu Garada said in statements Wednesday.
Sudan had recently received a preliminary agreement from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) approving it as a substitute for Morocco, local media on Monday quoted an official from Sudan's General Football Association as saying.
The minister stressed that hosting the African tournament could expose the country to the virus, saying "this is a risk that the country should not take because the fear over Ebola was the motive behind the Moroccan stance rejecting the host of the tournament as scheduled."
According to the UN the Ebola pandemic has claimed the lives of over 4,000 people since early this year.