Magnus Rex Danquah, Chief Operating Officer of the Local Organising Committee for CAN 2008 says the tournament in Ghana will set new standards.

Below, we reproduce an interview granted CAF's website by Magnus Rex Danquah in Accra on Ghana’s readiness to host the biggest event on the continent’s soccer calendar.

CAFONLINE.COM: How far have you reached in terms of getting ready for the CAN 2008?

Magnus Rex Danquah: We have come a long way in that direction. We have classified the preparations into two - infrastructure and organisation.Infrastructure has to do with the venues (stadiums), which I can point out that with respect to Sekondi and Tamale, we are ahead of schedule. For Accra and Kumasi, where the stadiums are being renovated, we are on schedule. On organization, it has to do with the preparation for the teams. As I speak to you know, hotels for all the 16 teams have been confirmed alongside officials of CAF, guests as well as reservation for the media.

CAFONLINE.COM: One area of concern was the external works at the Sekondi stadium. What is the progress of work in this respect?

Well that’s no longer a problem. Government has awarded the contract to a firm to construct a dual carriage road to the site.Also, we have reached an advance level on preparation towards the CAF General Assembly, next year before the Nation’s Cup.

CAFONLINE.COM: How are you coping with accommodation for the competition?

The issue of accommodation is being dealt with the by the officers in charge. We have linked up some of the hospitality agencies. Even Holiday Inn and Africa Regency Hotels, both under construction have all been put in our plans. What will surprise many is that we have met with the various University Councils to defer the re-opening date for next year. This will ensure some fans, who cannot afford hotel rooms use the halls of residence and hostels at a moderate rate.

CAFONLINE.COM: Some fears though have been expressed about the training pitches the teams will use during the tournament. What is the true situation?

The contracts for the renovating of all the training pitches have been awarded. Most of the training pitches will be parks of some educational institutions, which is part of the legacies we are leaving for the schools. We have set August as the deadline and I can assure you that El-Wak Stadium and the rest will be ready. The training pitch should be of the same quality as the main pitch and we have contacted a company based in the United Kingdom, to provide grasses of international standard.

CAFONLINE.COM: What about medical and transportation aspects of the organisation for competition?

The recently inaugurated medical and doping committee has been tasked with responsibility of everything related to that field so as to meet CAF’s expectations.We are compiling a directory of all health institutions, which will be placed at vantage points during the competition.Also, the medical team will take care of all those involved in the tournament. For transportation, we have made the necessary arrangements with government to use most of the vehicles used during Ghana’s 50 years Independence Celebration and the African Union (AU) conference in July.

CAFONLINE.COM: Have you set a date for the draw?

We are planning to do the draw around October 20, 2007 at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC). Just like the Global Launch, it is going to be a grand one.It will be a great platform to showcase African football, and we plan to make the best out of that. It is going to portray the declaration of 2007 as the Year of African football by the AU, more especially when our President John Agyekum Kufour is the Chairman.Before that, by mid-September, when all the qualified teams are known, a special qualification Jamboree will be organised simultaneously in all 16 countries. The climax will be in Accra, which will have representatives from the teams in attendance. Also, the LOC has designed a programme to observe the national days of the qualified teams at the venues. This is an opportunity for countries to showcase themselves through their culture, products and other things. This will also promote closer ties between African nations.

CAFONLINE.COM: How much support have you enjoyed from the government of Ghana?

It has been tremendous. For one, the release of funds from government to organise a successful competition has been with any hitch.