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Great expectation as CAF announces AFCON 2025 & 2027 hosts

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

After the suspense that had lingered for months, CAF is set to announce the host nation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as well as that for 2027.

The announcement will be made by CAF president, Dr. Patrice Motsepe. For the 2025 edition, there are five bids on the card. The Kingdom of Morocco is the topmost contender.

There is also a bid by their eastern neighbours, Algeria along with the nascent Nigeria-Benin joint bid as well as that of Zambia and South Africa  The 2025 edition was originally to hold in Guinea, but the rights were withdrawn.

They were stripped last year of the hosting rights after being found to be too far behind in building infrastructure for the event. But the coup in that country appeared the remote reason. On 5 September 2021, President of Guinea Alpha Condé was captured by the country’s armed forces in a coup d’état after gunfire in the capital, Conakry.

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The new host country for 2025 was originally to have been announced last 10 February. With Algeria as the visible candidate for the 2027 edition, the 2025 bids may have been narrowed to Morocco, Zambia and South Africa. The joint Nigeria-Benin bid is the most unlikely.

Morocco looked the most likely choice for the hosting. The kingdom has a chain of success to lean on for the kingdom to be considered as the appropriate hosts for the 2025 edition.

The kingdom hosted more World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches than any other country in Africa as most teams opted for Morocco to host their matches. In the just concluded 2023 Afcon qualifiers, six countries, namely Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Togo, Burkina Faso, Gambia and Mali had some of their qualifying encounters in Morocco.

The other candidates for the 2027 editions are: Botswana, Egypt and a joint candidacy from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

RELATED: https://www.sportsvillagesquare.com/2023/02/19/moroccans-can-host-can-2025/

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

AFCON

Libya sacks coach ahead of AFCON qualifying back-to-back matches with Nigeria

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Milutin Sredojević

The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.

This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.

Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.

His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.

Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.

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The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while  the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.

According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach,  Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.

 He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience. 

According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.

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AFCON

CAF president blasts Ghana, others over stadium ban

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CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,

After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.

Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti,  Chad,  Niger,  Eritrea,  Gabon,  Sudan,  Zimbabwe,  Madagascar,  São Tomé and Burundi.

Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.

“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.

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He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”

Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.

“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.

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AFCON

Present and Past as CAF Coaches Symposium unites Rohr, Peseiro and Eguavoen

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The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.

Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.

Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.

Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations

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