From Times Colonist

Guinea said Tuesday that it had been told by Africa’s top football body to move an important qualifier against Togo next month to another country because of the Ebola outbreak.

Guinea’s neighbour Sierra Leone, which is also affected by the deadly virus, has asked to play its ‘home’ games in Ghana in the final round of qualifying for the 2015 African Cup. The Sierra Leone government has suspended all football because of Ebola.

The request is being considered by Ghanaian authorities.

Nearly 700 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone alone.

The Guinea Football Federation had initially insisted it was safe for football but said it had now been instructed by the Confederation of African Football to relocate the Sept. 5 qualifier against Togo. The Togo team had refused to play in Guinea.

Guinea is believed to have been the source of the outbreak that has swept through three West African countries, killing over 1,000 people in total. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have each had over 300 deaths, with Guinea the highest at 373, according to the World Health Organization’s latest count.

A fourth country, Nigeria, has also reported Ebola cases.

Guinea Football Federation president Sherif Diallo said CAF had sent a letter instructing them to move the Togo game. CAF had not yet announced the decision.

“In this letter, CAF also noted that all members of the Guinean delegation who need to travel with the team will be tested to ensure they are not infected with the Ebola virus,” Diallo said.

Read more at Times Colonist