Zambia withdraws from biding to host AFCON 2019

Government has announced that Zambia will not bid to host the 2019 African Cup of Nations (AfCON).

Ministry of Sports Spokesperson Muma Mukupa says Zambia will not bid to host AfCON because the costs of hosting the continental soccer showpiece was not factored into the 2019 national budget which has already passed.

Mr. Mukupa stated that hosting the Africa Cup of Nations requires a lot of financial resources which could have only been possible if it was included in the national budget.

Mukupa says government is happy that the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has expressed interest to bid to host the 2019 AfCON except the country has no capacity at the moment to host a tournament of such magnitude.

FAZ expressed interest in bidding to host the 2019 AfCON tournament few weeks after the Chipolopolo’s ambitions of qualifying to the showpiece were ruined by Mozambique.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced last month that Cameroon had been dropped from hosting the tournament due to delays in preparations to stage the continental showpiece.

CAF is expected to announce the new hosts of the AfCON tournament on December31, with South African ranking among the front runners.

Source: Lusaka Times