Liberia has been issued a clean bill of health and authorization to host the African Cup of Nations qualifying match against Tunisia in Monrovia following its successful end of Ebola Virus Disease epidemic.
Saturday’s Afcon tie with Carthage Eagles will be the first international match to be staged in the West African country since it was rocked by the deadly Ebola. The country last hosted an international match in May 2014 when they beat Lesotho 1-0 in a Nations Cup qualifier in the capital.
They were subsequently banned from hosting any international soccer as the outbreak of Ebola virus led to some 4,800 deaths in the country. The suspension was, however, lifted in May when the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the country free of the deadly haemorrhagic fever.
However, two neighbours, Guinea and Sierra Leone, remain barred from hosting international matches due to Ebola concerns. The Sierra Leonean national team will be having their ‘home’ qualifier against African champions Cote d’Ivoire to Port Harcourt in Nigeria on Sunday while Guinea plays away in Zimbabwe this weekend.
By Olisemeka Obeche
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