Afcon soccer tourney gives Egypt chance for glory both on, off field

Egypt is getting only a small amount of time to prepare for Afcon 2019, but the major soccer tournament could pay off big time.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi talks to Chad's president Idriss Deby at the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and the Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia January 28, 2018. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri - RC1BB8D8BD20
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi talks to Chad's President Idriss Deby at the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and the Government of the African Union, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Jan. 28, 2018. - REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
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Abdulla Kadry
@AbdullaKadry

CAIRO — Egypt will be hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) soccer tournament this summer, a major event that presents the country with a challenge, but also an opportunity to return to the international sports-hosting spotlight.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Jan. 8 named Egypt to host Afcon, replacing Cameroon, which defeated Egypt for the tournament title at the 2017 event in Gabon. Cameroon was stripped of its 2019 Afcon hosting rights because of delays in completing the necessary construction and infrastructure work. There have also been concerns about separatist violence.

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