While he made sure to back the North American bid to host the 2026 World Cup, Saudi Arabia's Chairman of the General Sports Authority Turki Al Sheikh announced Thursday, 27th of September, that he supports the idea of having Morocco as a host of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations instead of Cameroon.
«As president of the Union of Arab Football Associations, I fully support Morocco as a host of the Africa Cup of Nations, instead of Cameroon», he wrote on his Twitter account.
بصفتي رئيسا للاتحاد العربي لكرة القدم أعلن عن دعمي الكامل للمغرب الشقيق في استضافة بطولة الأمم الأفريقية بدلاً من الكاميرون.
— تركي آل الشيخ (@Turki_alalshikh) September 27, 2018
كما أعلن عن تسخير كل الإمكانات في حال طلب مني الأشقاء من المغرب ذلك.
Al Sheikh's position was unexpected as he had previously lobbied against Morocco's bid to host the 2026 World Cup. Moreover, the Saudi official has even offered his help to the Kingdom.
For the record, Cameroon might not be the African country to organize the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. In fact, Yaoundé is late on several projects related to the tournament.