CAF Deputy General Secretary in charge of Football and Development, Anthony Baffoe, has declared that all hands are on deck towards hosting a successful tournament.
Prior to the host Egypt playing Zimbabwe in the tournament opener yesterday at the Cairo International Stadium, Baffoe told the media at a press briefing in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, that all was set for the start of the tournament that spans June 21 to July 19 in the cities of Alexandria, Cairo, Ismailia and Suez.
This edition is for the first time having 24 teams, an increase from the previous 16.
“Everyone is committed to have the best AFCON ever, a historic one. A great work has been done and we thank the Egyptian Government and Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the tremendous job done so far, despite the challenges of six venues instead of four,” Baffoe stressed.
He lauded some of the innovations such as allocating a training pitch to each team and increasing the accredited delegates per team from 30 to 40.
Baffoe, a former Ghana international, said the switch in the period of the tournament from January-February to June-July will also help to showcase some of the best talents from the continent. – Cafonline
