AFCON
AFCON 2025: Nigeria-Benin joint bid as well as that of Morocco and Algeria may hit the rocks
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Although CAF President, Patrice Motsepe on Saturday confirmed that six bids are in the race to replace Guinea as hosts of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations hosts, speculations have narrowed the bid to three.
Those currently in the race are: Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Zambia and Benin-Nigeria.
But the on-going spat between Morocco and Algeria may see both being tecnically edged out to avert possible boycott by any of the duo that may not win the bid.
Facility-wise, both are eminently qualified to host the tournament. But considering the last minute withdrawal of Morocco from the on-going African Nations Championship in Algeria, a reprisal boycott could be anticipated should the Moroccans get the bid.
Morocco have in the past five years been the destination for the hosting of most competitions in Africa. Among such are the 2017 edition of CHAN, the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations last year as well as the Women’s CAF Champions League and the CAF Super Cup.
If Algeria gets the nod, another boycott from Morocco could be expected. Both countries rank among African football powers and the chances of their qualification for the championship is very high just as possible boycott looms.
With the two North African countries possibly being ruled out, the race then turns to West Africa and Southern African contest.
Benin-Nigeria hold the flag for West Africa, the region originally to host the championship. Zambia and South Africa from the Southern region are the other contestants.
If South Africa wins the bid as possibly the country with the best facilities among the quartet, it will be the third time the country will be hosting after that of 1996 and 2013.
The influence of the CAF president, Motsepe, a South African, may also be suspected. Nigeria hosted in 1980 and co-hosted with Ghana in 2000. This time, it is another joint bid with Benin Republic who have never hosted just like Zambia.
CAF officials will do inspection tours of all the candidates this month with the winners to be announced on February 10.
South African billionaire businessman Motsepe said the successful country or countries would offer the best “transport, logistics, hotels and beautiful stadiums”.
“Each region will have a chance to organise a CAN (Cup of Nations). We cannot assign the organisation of the CAN successively to the same region.”
With that statement, the joint bid of Nigeria and Benin appears dead on arrival as another West African country, Cote d’ivoire will host the preceeding edition meant for this year in 2014.
The pendulum therefore swings in favour of the Southern African region where South Africa and Zambia are the contestant.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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