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Gabon's
national football team players take part in a training session at the stade de
la paix in Bouake on June 3, 2016 on the eve of their 2017 African Cup of
Nations football match between Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon ©Issouf Sanogo (AFP)
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The African Cup of
Nations continental football finals will go ahead as scheduled in Gabon despite
the wave of riots following President Ali Bongo's re-election, African football
authorities confirmed on Thursday.
AFP
report continues:
"There
will be no change, we are following proceedings closely," African football
confederation media spokesman Junior Binyam told AFP.
The
16 nation bi-annual finals are scheduled to take place between January
14-February 5 in Gabon after original hosts Libya were stripped of the
competition due to their ongoing civil conflict.
"As
things stand the schedule is being maintained," Binyam insisted. "The
draw for the finals will take place at Libreville (on) October 19 as
scheduled."
However,
he warned things could change.
"The
situation will be debated and evaluated at the annual CAF meetings (in Cairo)
between September 21-27," he explained.
When
asked if the finals could possibly be moved in the case of escalated violence,
Binyam said: "The time has not yet come to discuss that."
The
2015 edition of the finals also switched venue a mere two months ahead of the
finals when Morocco was stripped of hosting rights following its request to
delay the tournament due to fears over the Ebola virus.
Those
finals were eventually staged on schedule but in Equatorial Guinea, who also
co-hosted the 2012 edition with the current 2017 hosts Gabon.
The
32 matches will take place at five venues, two of them in Libreville, one at
Franceville a fourth at Port Gentil and also at the brand new stadium at Oyem.
Overnight
riots on Wednesday saw a thousand people arrested after Bongo was declared
winner of disputed presidential polls.
Thousands
of angry protesters poured onto the streets of Libreville late on Wednesday,
accusing the government of stealing the election after Bongo won a second term
by a razor-thin margin over rival Jean Ping.
His victory is set to extend the Bongo family's almost 50-year rule over the small oil-rich nation.
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