The 2014 FIFA Club World Cup will still hold in Morocco as planned despite fears over the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), according to a statement by the world football governing body on Tuesday.
The competition has been scheduled to hold December 10-20 in the cities of Marrakech and Rabat in Morocco, which is also expected to host the 2015 African Cup of Nations from January.
Among the teams to participate in the 10-day competition are Spanish giants Real Madrid representing Europe, Argentine club San Lorenzo for South America as well as Cruz Azul representing Central America.
Africa’s representative, other than Mogreb Tetouan from host nation Morocco, will be represented by either of Algerian ES Setif or AS Vita of DR Congo which are contesting the 2014 CAF Champions League final.
The statement from FIFA read ”Concerning the FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Morocco, the health of players, officials and football fans remains the highest priority, just as it would for any FIFA competition.”
The statement added that, ”According to the World Health Organization there are currently no cases of Ebola reported from Morocco and therefore all preparations continue as planned.”
Also, ”FIFA is monitoring the situation and is in close contact with the Moroccan authorities and constantly updating its position in accordance with WHO technical guidance.”
The EVD has predominantly affected west African nations Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, infecting about 10,000 people and killing close to 5,000 people since the current outbreak began.