AFCON
Behold Peseiro And His AFCON Group A Rivals –
The CAF Africa Cup of Nations, Cote d’Ivoire 2023 kicks off on Saturday, January 13, 2024, with the opening clash between the host country, Cote d’Ivoire, and Guinea-Bissau.
The two teams from Group A will clash at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Ebimpe.
Group A comprises Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, and Nigeria, each led by renowned and charismatic coaches.
Here’s an overview of the coaches of the teams in Group A.
Côte d’Ivoire: Jean Louis Gasset (69 years)
Jean Louis Gasset was appointed as the head coach of the Ivorian national team in May 2022, replacing Patrice Beaumelle, whose contract was not renewed after a disappointing CAN campaign in Cameroon, where the Elephants were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Egypt (0-0, 5-4 on penalties).
The 69-year-old French tactician bears the heavy responsibility of guiding the host nation in this competition. The mission assigned to him by the Ivorian Football Federation was crystal clear from the outset. “Our goal with Gasset is to win the next CAN, or at least reach the semi-finals; otherwise, his contract will not be renewed for another year,” stated Ivorian football chief Idriss Diallo during a press conference in Abidjan.
Despite his first experience leading a national team, Jean Louis Gasset can rely on his extensive coaching background, having managed several French clubs, including Montpellier, Saint-Etienne, and Bordeaux. He also served as an assistant to Laurent Blanc at Bordeaux, with the French national team, and at Paris Saint-Germain. At home, the Elephants, under his guidance, will strive to lift a third continental trophy following their successes in 1992 in Senegal and 2015 in Equatorial Guinea.
Nigeria: José Peseiro (63 years)
José Peseiro has been at the helm of the Nigerian national team since May 2022, taking over from Austin Eguavoen. The 63-year-old Portuguese manager faces the challenging task of leading the Super Eagles in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire, where the country aspires to a better performance than the last edition in Cameroon, where they were surprisingly eliminated by Tunisia in the round of 16.
To achieve the goals set by Nigerian football authorities, José Peseiro can draw on his rich experience, having previously served as the head coach of Saudi Arabia (2009-2011) and Venezuela (2020-2021) and managed Portuguese clubs Braga, Porto, and Sporting Portugal. With him, Nigeria aims for a fourth continental crown after triumphs in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
Equatorial Guinea: Juan Micha (48 years)
Confirmed as the head coach of Equatorial Guinea in March 2021 after a five-month interim period, Juan Obiang Micha will lead the Nzalang Nacional at the AFCON for the second consecutive edition. In the 2021 edition in Cameroon, he achieved a sensational run with his team, reaching the quarterfinals after eliminating Mali in the round of 16 and defeating Algeria in the group stage.
At 48 years old, Juan Michá Obiang Bicogo is a former Equato-Guinean footballer who played for his country in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
He began his coaching career at Fuenlabrada in Spain before joining the Equatorial Guinean women’s national team as an assistant coach from 2012 to 2014. Before becoming the interim head coach of Equatorial Guinea in late 2020 and subsequently confirmed in March 2021, he also coached the country’s U17 and U20 teams, as well as Deportivo Unidad, a club based in Malabo. He aims to surpass the 2015 performance at home, the year of Nzalang Nacional’s best-ever finish in the competition (fourth place).
Guinea-Bissau: Baciro Cande (57 years)
Baciro Cande (57 years) has been in charge of the Guinea-Bissau national team since 2016. This year in Côte d’Ivoire, he will lead his country in its fourth Africa Cup of Nations. A former defender, he played for Estrela de Amadora and Amara in Portugal before embarking on a coaching career.
This marks his second stint at the helm of Djurtus after an initial tenure between 2001 and 2009. In the meantime, he also coached Sporting Clube de Bissau (2009-2016), leading them to a league title in 2010. In 2023, he undoubtedly aspires to guide his team beyond the first round, a stage they have never surpassed in three previous participations (2017, 2019, 2021).
By Kunle Solaja
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have taken the first step towards jointly hosting the 2032 Africa Cup of Nations after submitting an expression of interest to the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The Nigerien Football Federation announced that CAF had accepted the joint declaration submitted by the three West African nations, marking the opening phase of the bidding process.
However, the acceptance of the expression of interest does not amount to an award of the hosting rights, as the countries must still undergo CAF’s comprehensive evaluation process before a final decision is made.
The three football federations unveiled their joint project following a meeting with CAF President Patrice Motsepe in the United States during the closing stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The proposed bid brings together the three members of the Alliance of Sahel States, reflecting their ambition to co-host one of Africa’s biggest sporting events and strengthen regional cooperation through football.
Earlier this month, CAF officially opened the bidding process for the 2028, 2032 and 2036 editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, inviting all 54 member associations to submit expressions of interest. The continental governing body said all bids would be assessed based on strict technical, financial and legal criteria.
As the next stage of the process, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso must prepare a comprehensive bid dossier outlining the proposed host cities, stadiums, training facilities, transport infrastructure, accommodation capacity and security arrangements.
CAF has yet to announce the timetable for selecting the 2032 host nation(s) or reveal the full list of countries expected to compete for the hosting rights.
Should the joint bid eventually succeed, the tournament would return to Mali for the first time since it staged the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations. It would also mark a historic first for both Niger and Burkina Faso, neither of which has previously hosted the continent’s flagship football championship.
The bid underscores the growing trend of joint hosting arrangements for major football tournaments, allowing neighbouring countries to pool infrastructure and resources while expanding the reach of the competition across multiple nations.
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BY KUNLE SOLAJA, Brooklyn, NY
A document circulating widely on social media claiming that the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has stripped Morocco of its 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and declared Senegal champions appears to be fabricated, with official CAS records showing no evidence that a final ruling has been issued.
The claim emerged months after the Senegalese Football Federation appealed a decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award Morocco a 3-0 victory in the controversial AFCON final. While Senegal’s appeal is genuine, the latest official information indicates that the case remains unresolved.
One of the clearest indications that the viral document is not authentic is its case number. The circulating image bears the reference CAS 2026/A/10857, whereas CAS officially confirmed that Senegal’s appeal was registered under CAS 2026/A/12295. Such a discrepancy would not be expected in a genuine final award.
The document also incorrectly identifies the dispute as being solely between the Senegalese Football Federation and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation. CAS has officially stated that the appeal was lodged against both CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, since the challenged decision originated from CAF’s Appeals Board.
The purported ruling further claims that CAS issued its verdict on June 10, 2026, accepting Senegal’s appeal, overturning CAF’s decision and restoring the result achieved on the field, effectively awarding the continental title to Senegal.
However, a review of CAS’s official communications reveals no statement, judgment or announcement issued on that date regarding the AFCON final dispute.
The latest public update from CAS remains the statement released on March 25, 2026, in which the court confirmed only that Senegal’s appeal had been registered and that an arbitration panel had been appointed. CAS also stated that it was too early to determine a hearing date or indicate when a final decision might be delivered.
In the same communication, CAS disclosed that Senegal had requested an extension to file its appeal brief until it received the full written reasons behind CAF’s ruling. The court also reiterated that arbitration proceedings remain confidential while ongoing.
That timeline directly contradicts the claims contained in the viral document.
Further doubts about the document’s authenticity stem from the fact that it does not appear in CAS’s official database of published decisions. The image circulating online also excludes CAF from the list of respondents and exists only as a low-quality graphic featuring signatures, stamps and an Arabic translation without any verifiable official source.
CAS typically publishes non-confidential rulings through its official database or recent decisions section. No ruling relating to the AFCON final dispute has been published.
Until CAS announces otherwise, CAF’s Appeals Board decision remains the only valid and enforceable ruling in the matter.
On March 17, 2026, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the AFCON final after its players left the field during the match. Invoking Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, the board awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory, overturned an earlier disciplinary decision and upheld Morocco’s protest.
Senegal subsequently challenged that ruling before CAS, but the appeal has yet to produce a publicly announced outcome.
As things stand, there is no official evidence that CAS has revoked Morocco’s AFCON 2025 title or declared Senegal champions. Unless and until the Lausanne-based court issues a formal decision, CAF’s ruling remains in force, making the viral document misleading and highly likely to be fake.
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Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe has praised Morocco’s King Mohammed VI for what he described as a powerful gesture of unity and reconciliation following the royal pardon granted to Senegalese supporters convicted over offences linked to the final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
In a statement released on Saturday, Motsepe expressed deep appreciation on behalf of CAF’s 54 member associations, hailing the Moroccan monarch’s decision as a demonstration of football’s ability to foster peace and solidarity across the continent.
“I would like to express our deep gratitude to His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, for granting His Royal Pardon to the Senegalese supporters convicted of offences relating to the final match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025,” Motsepe stated.
The CAF president said the pardon reflected Morocco’s enduring commitment to African unity and highlighted football’s growing role as a bridge between nations and cultures.
“CAF has consistently emphasised its commitment to utilise football to contribute to uniting our people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds,” he said.
“The pardon by His Majesty King Mohammed VI is an uplifting and motivating illustration of the power of football to unite and bring our people together in Africa and worldwide.”
Motsepe also revealed that during recent visits to both Morocco and Senegal, he had been struck by the deep historical and cultural bonds shared by the two countries.
“I was amazed and impressed when I was briefed about the historic and extensive ties between the people of Senegal and Morocco,” he added.
The statement further reinforced Morocco’s rising influence within African football, especially after successfully hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and positioning itself as one of Africa’s leading football destinations ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Motsepe also extended CAF’s best wishes to Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, expressing confidence that the continent’s teams would perform strongly on the global stage.
Among the African nations mentioned were Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Ghana, South Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Cape Verde and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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