CAF clears Guinea to host matches after Ebola scare

Guinea has been given the go-ahead to host football matches after being declared Ebola-free.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) today announced it has passed the West African country fit to host games again on home soil.

General Secretary of the governing body, Hicham El Amrani, in a letter on Monday communicated the decision to the President of the Guinean Football Federation, Salifou Camara.

“CAF has learned with joy and relief the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 29 December 2015, officially confirming that Guinea is now declared Ebola free.

“CAF thereby confirms lifting the ban on the organisation of continental matches in Guinea, and for all competitions organized by CAF,” he said.

A huge relief; it had been in effect since August 2014.

Guinea becomes the latest among a number of countries in the region including Sierra Leone to be declared free from the disease, which claimed many lives at its peak.

Guinea declared free of Ebola virus that killed over 2,500 https://t.co/43fDjDYF7K pic.twitter.com/DgeqToTg5p

— Reuters Africa (@ReutersAfrica) December 29, 2015

Some more than 11, 000 people were killed during the outbreak after the first reported transmission in December 2013.