South Africa delays African Cup stadium decision

The South African Football Association has delayed a decision on the host cities and stadiums for next year's African Cup of Nations.

SAFA was due to choose the stadiums for its biggest tournament since the World Cup last week, but says it will now send a shortlist to the government for approval by Tuesday. It will name the venues by April 20, which will be almost a month after the planned announcement.

SAFA said this weekend it had not yet made any decision on venues for the African Cup, denying reports that iconic, multimillion dollar stadiums in the coastal cities of Durban and Cape Town - which have been underused since the World Cup - had been left out.

Tournament chief executive Mvuzo Mbebe says the bidding process is ''a sensitive issue.''