AP, Cairo :
Egypt is among four candidates to host the 2017 African Cup of Nations, a test for the country to show it is getting over years of violent civil unrest that also contributed to a sudden dip for its once-dominant soccer team.
The Confederation of African Football announced Sunday that Egypt made the shortlist alongside Algeria, Gabon and Ghana to take over the hosting from Libya, which withdrew because of security and organizational concerns.
Bids from Kenya, Sudan and Zimbabwe were ruled out because they did not comply with “set criteria,” CAF said.
CAF will decide on the new host next year, it said, although it didn’t give an exact date.
Both the next two editions of the African Cup of Nations will have replacement hosts at short notice after Morocco was replaced last week by Equatorial Guinea for the 2015 tournament – which starts in January.
Egypt has much to do to prove it’s a safe venue for 2017 after years of political uncertainty and violence following the overthrow of longtime president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
