The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Ahmad Ahmad, has lauded Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his country’s good preparation ahead of the tournament.
“We can’t ignore Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s cooperation in organizing the competition for five months. I think it’s safe to say that all the signs lead to a successful experience and I think everyone saw the draw,” Ahmad said on the eve of the elite continental competition.
Egypt was awarded the rights to host AFCON 2019 after CAF deemed Cameroon not ready to host the event.
While withdrawing Cameroon’s hosting rights, CAF cited a lack of preparation, lack of adequate infrastructure and insecurity issues as the reasons for the decision.
The 2019 tournament begins on Friday with a clash pitting the host Egypt against Zimbabwe.
The tournament will be the first held in the June-July window in conformity with the international football calendar. Previous editions were held in January-February.
The tournament will also be the first that has 24 teams participating, an increase from the previous editions that had only 16 teams.
