Less than five days before the long-awaited Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Morroco, Confederation of African Football (Caf) has canceled the event.
Caf, through an emergency committee, canceled the event on Monday because of difficulties faced by teams and even the organizers.
“The Committee was made aware of the constraints faced by some of the participating member associations as well as the host country,” a statement from Caf said.
“That includes the fact that the coronavirus pandemic continues to present significant challenges for the organization of international sporting events.
Covid-19 related problems such as Increased restrictions on international travel, Uncertainty about the evolution of the situation and the resurgence of the Covid19 pandemic forced the committee to cancel the games.
“For all these reasons, the Committee decided to cancel the 2021 edition of the Total Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations.”
Some of the 11 teams that had qualified to join hosts Morocco at the tournament had already arrived in the country to prepare including Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia Senegal and Ivory Coast.