Published on : 30/08/2022 – 14:23
Guinea’s ruling junta has pledged to release funds and grant expedited access to land for the country’s hosting of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The announcement, which dates from Monday August 29, comes on the eve of a two-day mission by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to monitor Guinea’s progress in hosting the big event. The Secretary General of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Véron Mosengo Omba will make the trip.
An event ” of national and priority interest »
A decree by junta leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, read on state television, declared the event ” of national and priority interest “. All expenses for the needs of the organization will be dealt with urgently “, did he declare. He also said that the land needed for the tournament will fall into the category of public interest, and that any real estate transactions or work not related to the competition will be prohibited on these sites.
Guinea was originally due to host the competition in 2023, but that was pushed back two years when the list of host nations was revamped in 2018. The next Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for June-July 2023 in Ivory Coast , has been postponed to the beginning of 2024.
The takeover has sparked friction with the influential West African bloc ECOWAS, which is pushing for a quick return to civilian rule. However, the junta said it would respect the country’s commitment to host the AFCON in 2025. In March, Doumbouya appointed a new organizing committee following one of its members publicly doubted the project’s feasibility.
“This African Cup of Nations, it is intended for Guinea”
Last June, CAF had already carried out an inspection visit. Rumors of relocation of the event made the Minister of Youth and Sports, Lansana Béa Diallo react. “This African Cup of Nations is for Guinea. So I would like to tell all those who are candidates to position themselves for 2027, 2029 or 2031. But 2025 is for Guinea, assured Lansana Béa Diallo. We see a lot of communications that are not very fair play, for me who is a pan-Africanist. There is a CAN which has been dedicated to a single country. However, I see that there are many countries that are positioning themselves today to be able to organize it because they say that Guinea is not capable of organizing it. »
With a stadium to renovate and five stadiums to build, the task promises to be complicated for Guinea. In 2014, under the presidency of Cameroonian Issa Ayatou, CAF awarded the CAN 2019 to Cameroon, 2021 to Côte d’Ivoire and 2023 to Guinea. AFCON 2019 was finally held in Egypt and Cameroonians hosted the event in January this year.
