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Life > Football: Why it would be outrageous for Ghana to host AFCON 2015 [EBOLA rendition]

By Allsports.com.gh
Cup of Nations Life  Football: Why it would be outrageous for Ghana to host AFCON 2015 EBOLA rendition
OCT 21, 2014 LISTEN

One of the most important rules of the game states that the referee stops a match if a player is seriously injured.

The question is why would a football game be halted for a single player while there are 21 others on the field of play? What about the thousands of spectators in the stands who have paid money to watch a football game? How could one person dictate for all the parties involved in the organization and realization of that football game?

The answer is a simple one. LIFE IS GREATER THAN FOOTBALL.

The rule of the football game above forbids football to continue if a single player is at risk. In what world is that more detrimental than a situation where the 22 players on the field, substitutes on the bench with their managers, officials, spectators, the people in the town and country are all at risk due to a disease called EBOLA?

Ghana has been called upon as a back-up plan by CAF to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. The president of Ghana has stated there is no decision yet by cabinet on the offer if Morocco decide to completely pull out.

Morocco have expressed obvious concerns about hosting the tournament and understandably so. The best decision for the sake of the African continent will be for CAF to halt organizing the Africa Cup of Nations competition in 2015 and hope for a better return in 2017 subject to the EBOLA epidemic being under control by then.

And if for whatever reason [which can never be important than the lives of the people on the African continent], CAF decides to go ahead and Morocco finally pull out, Ghana hosting the tournament in 2015 will be the most preposterous decision a country could ever make.

The EBOLA epidemic as it stands has not been officially recorded in Ghana. The notion of hosting the tournament has been backed by some with the argument of putting measures in place to secure the safety of the people. That reason is inversely proportion to logic as it could.

The maximum incubation period for the disease is approximately 21 days. How efficient can you fully access and continue to monitor a football fan who enters the county to enjoy a tournament that lasts a month? The risk at hand here highly supersedes the optimism of control.

The talk of revenue to be generated in hosting such a competition is never enough compared to the gargantuan discomfort the people of Ghana will be put in. Despite the impressive efforts to educate the good people of Ghana on EBOLA, the evidence and high rate of mortality of the disease as heard and read in the news has significantly heightened the fear of the disease.

A little of such evidence was seen during the AFCON qualifier games between Ghana and Guinea. Where some media men were alarmed to make contact with fellow media men from Guinea and weren't entirely comfortable when they managed to do so.

So imagine all the foreign fans and whoever who wishes to watch AFCON 2015 accommodated here in Ghana. Imagine the discomforts to be caused at the banks as these foreigners try to find a way to do some transactions. Imagine the fearful thoughts of the 'trotro' driver and his mate as they pick people from the stadium after a game against a suspected EBOLA country. The risk for our road venders and the nation at large; the fear will be unbearable.

And the disadvantages of taking such high risks with a deadly disease as EBOLA could be profiled with every scenario from the Ghanaian perspective.

Football is and has always been a great game. To have a football tournament in your country is a joy and privilege as experienced by Ghana in 2008.

But never under a circumstance where it could have damning effects on the people who are supposed to be thrilled by the joy of watching and feeling the passion of it.

So in the case of Ghana, if rejecting to come to CAF's aid in 2015 in case Morocco pull out could affect our bid for the 2017 competition, then so be it because life is greater than football.

This is the EBOLA rendition of how preposterous it will be for Ghana to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

The other version is the LOGICAL rendition. If time and words permit, that version might be out later but the summary of it is: If South Africa says it does not have 'ready-made abundance of resources' to host AFCON 2015 in less than three month, any country in Africa to accept that challenge if Morocco pull out will be living in total fallacy and desperation. Follow @kboakye92

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