AFCON
Twenty one stars risk missing out in Africa Cup of Nations final match
Up to 21 stars have been involved in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals this week knowing one mistimed tackle would rule them out of the biggest match in the continent.
Burkina Faso had 10 players in their squad walking the disciplinary tightrope with one yellow card each, record seven-time champions Egypt have five and hosts Cameroon and Senegal three each.
Senegal beat Burkina Faso in the first semi-final on Wednesday night in Yaounde while Cameroon confront Egypt in a hard-to-predict showdown 24 hours later.
All 21 have been cautioned in the knockout phase, and a second yellow card will trigger an automatic one-match suspension and exclusion from either the final or third-place play-off.
There are few more heart-breaking situations for any footballers than being forced to sit out a final because they accumulated two yellow cards.
In the Cup of Nations it happened to Ghana superstar Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew in 1992 when he missed the title decider in Dakar against the Cote d’Ivoire, who won 13-12 on penalties after the longest final shootout in the competition.
Burkina Faso players in danger include six who began the quarter-final win over Tunisia — goalkeeper Herve Koffi, defenders Issa Kabore and Edmond Tapsoba and midfielders Adama Guira, Blati Toure and Cyrille Bayala.
The other Stallions who could face suspension are midfielders Boureima Bande and Saidou Simpore and forwards Mohamed Konate and Abdoul Fessal Tapsoba.
Egypt, already hit by injuries to goalkeepers Mohamed Elshenawy and Mohamed Abou Gabal and centre-back Ahmed Hegazy, can ill afford to lose any more players as they seek a first title since 2010.
The five Egyptians on the tightrope are defenders Mohamed Abdelmonem, Omar Kamal and Ayman Ashraf, who can also operate in midfield, and forwards Mostafa Mohamed and Ahmed ‘Zizo’ Sayed.
Only ‘Zizo’ is unlikely to start against the Indomitable Lions in a repeat of the 2017 final in Libreville won by five-time champions Cameroon.
All the Senegal players with one yellow card — defender Saliou Ciss and midfielders Nampalys Mendy and Pape Gueye — started the last-eight triumph over Equatorial Guinea.
Defender Michael Ngadeu Ngadjui and midfielders Martin Hongla and Andre Franck Zambo Anguissa are the Cameroonians who have been cautioned in the past two rounds, and are probable starters against Egypt.
The most card-littered match of the 48 so far in the flagship African tournament was the last-16 battle between Burkina Faso and Gabon.
Gabonese Sidney Obissa was sent off and eight of the team yellow-carded, along with six Burkinabe, who won on penalties.
The final and third-place play-off are scheduled for Sunday.
Africa Cup of Nations disciplinary records
(including quarter-finals)
Red cards
2: Cape Verde, Ghana
1: Burkina Faso, Comoros, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tunisia
Yellow cards
14: Gabon
13: Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea
12: Gambia
10: Tunisia
9: Guinea, Malawi
8: Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe
7: Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone
6: Comoros, Mali, Morocco
4: Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Sudan
3: Mauritania, Nigeria
Note: Red card = two-match suspension, two yellow cards = one-match suspension
-AFP
The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) has kicked off a European promotional tour themed “Morocco, Land of Football” to boost the country’s visibility ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The roadshow, which began on June 16 and runs through June 23, is making stops in five key European cities: Madrid, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Milan.
According to a press release, the initiative is designed to enhance Morocco’s international profile through a blend of sports and cultural promotion, as the kingdom prepares to host the continent’s premier football tournament.
“Morocco is preparing to welcome Africa. Through this roadshow, we aim to tell a collective story of a country oriented towards the future, proud of its roots, and passionate about football,” said Achraf Fayda, Director General of ONMT.
The roadshow stems from a strategic partnership signed in April between the ONMT and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), with the shared goal of positioning Morocco as a leading global destination for both football and tourism by 2030.
At each stop, the tour is expected to engage over 100 travel agents, tour operators, media professionals, and African tourism experts. Participants are treated to immersive, multisensory experiences that highlight Morocco’s tourism offerings, while also facilitating networking with sports personalities.
The campaign targets travel professionals, sports industry stakeholders, and digital content creators as part of ONMT’s broader strategy to leverage AFCON 2025 for tourism development and international branding.
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The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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