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maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 9 JANUARY 2019 23 SPORTS FOOTBALL Egypt named as the hosts of 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Barcelona sign teenage defender Todibo from Toulouse BARCELONA have struck a deal which will see 19-year- old defender Jean-Clair Todibo make his way to Camp Nou as a free agent when his contract at Toulouse expires. The highly-rated teenager will officially link up with the La Liga champions on July 1. Barca have moved quickly to secure his services after seeing the youngster freed to enter into pre-contract talks as his current deal runs down. A versatile operator who can fill in across the defensive line or in the middle of the park, Todibo is considered to be one of the most promising tal- ents in European football. He has already represented France at U20 level and big things are expected of him in the future. Upon reaching an agreement to bring in a man they hope to see flourish in Catalunya, a statement released on Barca's official website read: "Todibo is a tall, right-footed defender who can play at centre back and also in the centre of the midfield. "At the youth level he often featured in the middle of the field given his ability on the ball. "One of his best qualities is his physical presence and his ability in the air. "At just 19 years of age, the young talent comes to FC Barcelona as one of the most promising players in Europe- an football in his position." Todibo was born in Cayenne, the capital of French Guyana, but linked up with Toulouse in 2016. He progressed quickly through the ranks at the Ligue 1 club and was handed his competitive debut early in the 2018-19 campaign. His bow came at the age of 18 in a meeting with Bor- deaux. He has gone on to make a further nine appearances this season, all of them as a starter. Todibo has also recorded his first senior goal, with the target found as he netted a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Rennes in September. He is now set to add much- needed depth to the defensive ranks at Camp Nou. Barca have seen Samuel Um- titi struggle with knee prob- lems this season, while Thom- as Vermaelen's fitness woes have continued and Gerard Pique will be 32 before the current campaign comes to a close. EGYPT will host the 2019 Af- rica Cup of Nations, the Con- federation of African Football (CAF) has announced. Egypt beat South Africa, the only other nation to bid, by 16 votes to one with one absten- tion at a CAF executive com- mittee vote in Senegal. Original host nation Cam- eroon was stripped of staging duties in November because of slow preparations. Egypt has just six months to prepare for the expanded 24-team finals, which kick off in June. It will be the fifth time Egypt, which won the tournament when it last hosted in 2006, has staged the tournament. "I want to thank the (CAF) Executive Committee for the trust, and I thank the govern- ment for this support," said Egypt FA (EFA) president Ha- ny Abu Rida. "We organised the tourna- ment on 2006 and that make us against a challenge to make better and better, we are ready for this honour." "The guarantee from gov- ernment helped us to win against South Africa and that will help us to make a good tournament," added Ahmed Shobair, vice-president of Egypt's FA. "The fans will be back again in the stadiums, which will be full in the tournament I prom- ise." Egypt will use eight stadi- ums during the tournament, hosting in five different cit- ies: Alexandria, Ismailia, Port Said, Suez and also the capital Cairo. CAF had originally planned to name the new hosts on Wednesday 9th January. Since stripping Cameroon of this year's event, CAF has of- fered the country the chance to stage the finals in two years' time, which has meant that the original hosts for both the 2021 and 2023 finals have been asked to delay their tour- naments. Ivory Coast, which was set to host the 2021, has pro- tested against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Guinea's football federation announced on Monday that it has agreed to move its staging of the Nations Cup from 2023 to 2025. Tuesday's announcement took place in the Senegalese capital Dakar, which will host CAF's annual awards ceremo- ny later in the day. Egypt's Mohamed Salah is looking to retain his title as he takes on Gabon's Pierre- Emerick Aubameyang and also Senegal's Sadio Mane for the African Player of the Year award. Barcelona have struck a deal which will see 19-year-old defender Jean-Clair Todibo Original host nation Cameroon was stripped of staging duties in November because of slow preparations