Soccer-Furious Platini hits out at "insulting" CAF allegations

By Brian Homewood BERNE, Oct 22 (Reuters) - UEFA president Michel Platini has reacted angrily to a suggestion that he is interfering in the affairs of African football and denied calling for the continent's Nations Cup to be postponed because of the Ebola crisis. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had claimed in a statement issued on Tuesday that Platini had suggested calling off the tournament, due to be played in Morocco in January. Platini responded by telling his African counterpart Issa Hayatou that the claim was "unwarranted" and "even insulting". "At no point did I interfere in any way in the affairs of CAF, and at no point did I call for or support the postponement of the forthcoming Africa Cup of Nations," said Platini in a letter addressed to CAF president Hayatou, a fellow member of FIFA's executive committee. "I clearly stressed on three occasions during that interview that it was up to you and the CAF to take the decisions that you considered most appropriate. I could not have been clearer on that point," added the Frenchman. "Given this irrefutable evidence, it is clear that your statement is based on inaccurate information that has been reported to you. I therefore consider your statement to be unfair, unwarranted and even insulting. "I have attended a great many Africa Cups of Nations at your side," he added. "You know my love of Africa, the African people and African football and that is why this CAF statement has upset and hurt me so much. "I now expect an immediate retraction of the statement in question, as well as a formal apology from the author of that statement. Otherwise, I will react accordingly." Morocco have asked for a postponement of the event set to take place from Jan. 17-Feb. 8, because of fears over the spread of the worst Ebola outbreak on record which has killed more than 4,500 people, mostly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. A postponement has been rejected by CAF, who will travel to Rabat on Nov. 4 for talks with Moroccan government officials. CAF said in its statement that "Michel Platini, found it necessary to question maintaining the scheduled date of the African Nations Cup Morocco 2015." It added: "Many speakers, including Mr Platini, have been making reference to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to justify their support for a deferral of the championship. "Apart from the three countries heavily affected by the epidemic namely, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where the WHO has clearly indicated to CAF on the need to avoid huge gatherings, that measure for now only applies to no other country on the continent." CAF's statement continued: "Under the principle of non-interference...CAF has refrained so far from commenting on some issues on the managing of European football or any other continent. "Despite the risks involved in armed conflict in Ukraine, a country where a civilian plane was shot down killing nearly 300 people, UEFA did not consider it necessary to exclude Ukrainian clubs from its competitions as a security parameter. "CAF hereby reaffirms the importance it attaches to respect of its sovereignty and does not intend to let anyone interfere in the management of its affairs." (Editing by Toby Davis)