Afcon 2015: Ebola fears, freebies & big names - all you need to know
Africa Cup of Nations 2015
|
Host: Equatorial Guinea. Dates: 17 January - 8 February.
|
Coverage: Live text commentary and reports on every game, plus all the latest news from the tournament, on the BBC Sport website.
The 30th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will kick off on Saturday, with organisers, players and fans hoping the tournament can thrive in the face of adversity.
It was only in November that Equatorial Guinea took over as hosts from Morocco, whose plea to postpone the finals over fears about the spread of Ebola was rejected by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).
With concerns over the short time for Equatorial Guinea to prepare, worries about potentially poor attendances at matches in remote parts of the country and doubts about the infrastructure and facilities, football itself has taken a back seat in the build-up to the 16-team, 17 January to 8 February event.
BBC Sport looks at the on main issues surrounding the continent's football showpiece.
The hosts - short notice, big concerns
It is not the first time the small, oil-rich central African state of Equatorial Guinea, with a population of just 740,000, has hosted the tournament - they did so jointly with Gabon in 2012. However, the extra burden of going it alone, and at such late notice, is weighing heavily.
Matches will be hosted in four cities; Bata and Malabo - as they were three years ago - and in Mongomo and Ebebiyin. The new venues will be relatively basic because there has been insufficient time to build better facilities in those towns.
|
ConversionConversion EmoticonEmoticon