Ivory Coast must host match or face Cup of Nations exit

African football giants Ivory Coast will be expelled from the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations if they do not host Ebola-hit Sierra Leone in their qualifier on Saturday, the African Football Confederation (CAF) told AFP on Monday.

The Ivory Coast government had said it was refusing to allow the game to be played in Abidjan but the country's federation had not announced a country ready to host it instead.

"CAF regulation which applies here states that: “If, for any reason whatsoever, a team withdraws from the competition or does not report for a match, except in cases of force majeure accepted by the Organizing Commission or refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorization of the referee, it shall be considered the loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition," CAF's head of media Junior Binyam told AFP by email.

"Till now no official letter has been sent to CAF cancelling the game."

The devastating Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,500 people.

Many African governments have sought to isolate Sierra Leone, -- where 422 people have died from the illness -- Guinea and Liberia, the worst hit countries, throwing into doubt a number of sporting fixtures including the Leone Stars' Group D game against Ivory Coast.

The Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA) told AFP it was planning to go ahead with the fixture in Abidjan with a 20-man squad consisting entirely of players based abroad.

Sierra Leone were due to travel to the neutral territory of Ghana's capital,Accra, to play Democratic Republic of Congo on September 10.

The venue has been rearranged, however, and will now go ahead in DR Congo's second city, Lumumbashi, the SLFA said.

The spread of the virus to Senegal and the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that up to 20,000 cases could be reported mean more restrictions can be expected ahead of the Nations Cup finals in Morocco from January 17.

The CAF and the WHO had asked member nations "to avoid huge gatherings of people that could facilitate the spread of the Ebola virus."

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