The CAF Executive Committee at its meeting on Friday, 3 February 2017 in Libreville, Gabon decided to entrust the hosting of the final tournament of the Total U-17 Africa Cup of Nations to Gabon. The tournament, originally scheduled for April will now take place from 21 May to 4 June 2017.
The final tournament was initially due to take place in Madagascar, but the hosting rights were withdrawn following delays in preparations as demanded in the list of requirement.
Two countries submitted bids to host the tournament, Gabon and Sudan. After voting, Gabon polled eight votes against six for Sudan.
Tanzania replaces Congo
There was another important decision taken by the CAF Executive Committee concerning the event, the disqualification of Congo with Tanzania as its replacement. The Tanzania Football Association filed a protest on the eligibility of Congolese player, Langa Lesse Bercy. After several correspondences regarding the player in question, it was decided to carry out a new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test in Cairo, Egypt.
However, the player never showed up. A final ultimatum was issued for him to travel to Libreville to undergo the said test. Yet again, Lance Lesse Bercy failed to turn up. Therefore, Congo is disqualified, and will be replaced by Tanzania for the final tournament.
