CAF Officials warn Ghana
…"We want to see improvement or lose the right to host"
Kofi Agyepong | Posted: Thursday, September 01, 2005
The first Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football, General Seyie Memene, has expressed dissatisfaction with the snail pace of preparation Ghana is making towards the CAN 2008 tournament.
At a meeting with Vice-President Aliu Mahama, General Seyie Memene, who headed a three-member technical team from the Confederation of African Football said: "With consideration and respect I want to be straightforward and truthful. The inspection team is worried."
He said he and his two colleagues, Jean-Mari Weber, Marketing Consultant for CAF and Habuba Souleman, Director of Media Communication, did not see any good planning on the ground when they visited facilities in Accra, Tamale, Kumasi and Sekondi Takoradi.
Gen. Memene appealed to the Vice-President to throw his weight behind the Planning Committee to tighten Ghana's resolve to host the tournament.
"Ghana put up a spirited fight to place first among five competing countries in Cairo, Egypt for the hosting of CAN 2008, hence the need to prevent any lackadaisical approach", he remarked.
He reiterated that another team of inspectors would visit the country in March next year to determine whether Ghana should go ahead with the programme or not.
Responding to the statement, Vice-President Aliu Mahama said that Ghana is mindful that time is not on its side but gave the assurance that by March next year, when the CAF team arrives for the next assessment, they will be impressed.
"We know we are behind time, but I can assure you that by March next year when you pay as another visit, you will see a different Ghana", he said.
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