Ghana plans for media in 2008

Organisers of the 2008 Nations Cup are making plans for the media

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) and the organisers of the 2008 Nations Cup in Ghana have joined forces to prepare for the media's needs for the tournament.

In conjunction with the 2008 Local Organising Committee (LOC), Caf have held a seminar with mainly local journalists to brief them on what to expect at the tournament.

The last two Nations Cup in Egypt and Tunisia have wintnessed chaotic scenes at press conferences and sometimes poorly arranged media access points.

Suleiman Habuba, Caf's Director of Communications, is optimistic that facilities for the media will be much improved.

"We are going to use the internet to inform the media about every procedure well before the tournament," Habuba told BBC Sport.

"What I'm appealing from the media is to apply within the deadline so that we know exactly what to expect and deliver for the tournament.

"In the past, some journalists have shown up on the opening day of the tournament with accreditation forms - we want to discontinue this practice.

"This is the main aim of the seminar here in Accra to explain from A-Z on how we want to organise the tournament and what we expect from them."

Caf estimated that over four billion fans worldwide watched the Nations Cup staged in Egypt earlier this year.

Organisers believe even more people will be watching in 2008 as many onlookers are expected to judge South Africa's ability to stage the World Cup in 2010 by what Ghana has to offer.

While the seminar was attended by mainly local reporters, Caf and the LOC say they will also be making contact with members of the international media too.