Football
9y

Mehdi Benatia: Morocco 'disappointed' to miss out on African Nations Cup

Morocco defender Mehdi Benatia has told L'Equipe the squad are "very disappointed" their country will not stage the 2015 African Nations Cup, but said the players backed their government's decision.

Morocco were due to host the tournament starting on Jan. 17, but asked the African Football Confederation (CAF) to postpone it due to fears over the spread of the Ebola virus.

The CAF responded by initially rejecting the Moroccan authorities' request, before announcing on Tuesday that it was excluding the North African nation from the competition and is seeking a new host, with the tournament due to stick to its original schedule.

"We're the first victims of this situation. We're very disappointed, because we really wanted to have a great African Nations Cup on home soil, and to show that we were capable of making our fans happy," Benatia, who will feature in friendlies against Benin and Zimbabwe on Thursday and Sunday respectively, said.

"We're in total agreement with our government and federation. We fully respect their decision to have asked for the tournament to be postponed and we show total solidarity with them.

"And we are particularly disappointed with the position of the CAF. We hoped for a better compromise, but in the end, security, people's health, that is what we, as Moroccan citizens, are interested in. Football is a sport that should not take precedence over such important things."

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