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OccupyGhana, a local pressure group, has cautioned the government not to host the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) because it will expose the nation to the deadly Ebola disease and bring devastating consequences to Ghanaians. �Our strong disapproval for AFCON 2015 in Ghana will be expressed directly to CAF and FIFA. Perhaps they will see reason sooner than the government of Ghana to withdraw their ill-thought out request,� it said in a statement. The statement is in tune with a clarion call by many individuals and organisations on the government not to accept to host the AFCON 2015. Background It made reference to comments purported to have been made recently by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Mahama Ayariga, indicating that Ghana was ready to host the AFCON 2015 tournament slated for January and February 2015. It indicated that the original host, Morocco, had officially written to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to withdraw from hosting the tournament because of the Ebola outbreak on the continent and heightened risk alerts issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the disease spreading through social gatherings. It said for the same reason, South Africa, the other country aside from Ghana that CAF had approached as alternative host for the tournament, had indicated that it could not welcome Ebola from potential participating nations. Ghana�s case The statement said Ghana, which had a less developed healthcare system than Morocco and South Africa, should not volunteer or accept to host AFCON 2015. It said the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and millions of Ghanaians �remain unconvinced of our state of preparedness, considering our inability to cope with even treatable cholera, which has affected thousands and killed several hundreds of Ghanaians�. �Ebola is not kind to a disorganised healthcare system as we have in Ghana. It kills almost all of its victims. Any government that entertains the thought of importing Ebola is an uncaring one and should be resisted,� it added. The five imperatives The statement said beside Ebola, there were five very good reasons Ghana should not even think of hosting AFCON 2015. The first reason was what the group described as the �incompetence and corruption at the Ghana Football Association�. �Management of the Ghana Football Association, its hirelings and Black Stars players have given first-hand accounts of the mismanagement of resources in the run-up to and during the World Cup in Brazil. �We have not heard the last of the successively organised mismanagement by the GFA, as well as the troubling Maputo Report which contained similar humongously corrupt acts. Instead of rushing to host another tournament, the GFA and the Ministry of Sports should be focusing on rebuilding Ghana's tattered reputation in international sports,� it said. The second reason was what OccupyGhana considered to be �a culture of unaccountability and mismanagement at the Ministry of Youth and Sports�. Alluding to the Dzamefe Commission probing Ghana�s campaign at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the statement said: �Until and unless the many cases of financial mismanagement are explained, those responsible dealt with as prescribed by law and robust systems and processes put in place to stop their recurrence, the Sports Ministry cannot be trusted with the execution of any international sporting event.� Its third reason was the country�s huge fiscal deficit which was making it difficult for the government to honour its statutory payments. �There was no Parliament-approved budget in 2015 for AFCON. In the face of the huge Eurobond borrowing, as well as an imminent IMF bailout, there is no financial justification for a single pesewa of government�s already scarce revenue being spent on an avoidable, unnecessary, unbudgeted leisure event,� it said. According to the statement, the fourth reason was that the current energy crisis did not make it prudent to host AFCON 2015, adding, �Our erratic and low supply cannot cope with such demand without switching off power to the productive sectors of the economy and by it negatively affecting economic output and growth.� The fifth reason was that football, in the view of OccupyGhana, was not the greatest national priority or a matter of life and death. �The breaking of Bank of Ghana rules, the flouting of Ghana Revenue Authority laws, the disregard for international money laundering best practice guidelines to ferry $4 million to footballers and pay the expenses of party foot soldiers in Brazil while turning off power to VALCO because of a football game all show grossly and embarrassingly misplaced priorities,� the statement said. �In summary, even if there is no Ebola epidemic, AFCON 2015 is not our headache. Why is our government contemplating forcing Ghanaians to swallow bitter medicine for someone else�s headache? We shall not allow you to force this down our throats,� it added.