Morocco will no longer host next year’s Africa Cup of Nations soccer competition—and has been expelled from the tournament—after it demanded that games be postponed over fears that incoming travelers could spread Ebola. The event was scheduled for Jan. 17 to Feb. 8 next year; organizers say it will still go forward but have not yet chosen an alternate venue. From an Africa Cup press release:
Accordingly, and following the refusal of the Moroccan party, the Executive Committee has decided that the national team of Morocco is automatically disqualified and will not take part in the 30th edition of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations in 2015.
Qualifying for the tournament is ongoing, and teams from the heavily stricken nations of Guinea and Sierra Leone are participating. Morocco, which had asked that the competition be delayed until 2016, has not been participating in qualifying because it was set to qualify automatically as the host nation.
