Nigeria Loses AFCON 2027 Internet hosting Rights To Kenya, Uganda And Tanzania

Posted by Samson Kankan

Latest News, Sports News

Wednesday, September twenty seventh, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Nigeria on Wednesday misplaced out within the joint bid with Benin Republic to host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with the joint bid by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania clinching the internet hosting rights. 

The Confederation of African Soccer (CAF) additionally introduced that Morocco will stage the 2025 version.

Morocco final hosted the AFCON in 1988 and was chosen in 2015 however requested for the match to be postponed due to the Ebola virus, though CAF later determined to strip the north African nation of the internet hosting rights.

Whereas Morocco had been sizzling favourites to host the 2025 version of the premier African sport occasion, the shock last-minute withdrawal of Algeria from the 2027 race on Tuesday threw it vast open.

“This withdrawal will be defined by a brand new method from the FAF (Algerian soccer federation) associated to its technique for creating soccer in Algeria,” it stated.

The Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania bid then received the nod from the CAF govt committee, taking the biennial match again to east Africa for the primary time since Ethiopia staged the 1976 finals.

“I’m very pleased with Morocco,” stated CAF president Patrice Motsepe after naming the profitable hosts in Cairo.

“Morocco’s competing nations (for 2025 match) — Algeria, Zambia and Nigeria-Benin — introduced their withdrawal, even when these nations nonetheless made their presentation,” he stated.

“The principle motive is to help Morocco in its candidacy for the 2030 World Cup,” collectively with Spain and Portugal, defined Motsepe.

Morocco boast many world-class stadiums and have efficiently hosted quite a few African and world soccer tournaments.

However Kenya and Tanzania have just one international-standard venue every and Uganda none, which compelled their nationwide workforce to play 2023 Cup of Nations qualifiers at impartial venues.

“One of many key goals is that the choice that was taken immediately (promotes) the event of infrastructure and stadiums (and) be a supply of enthusiasm amongst younger folks,” stated Motsepe.

Taking the match to east Africa follows an announcement this yr by Motsepe that he didn’t need successive tournaments in the identical area.

“We can not assign the organisation of the CAN successively to the identical area,” he stated at a press convention earlier than the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Algeria final January.

Nevertheless, a number of months later, CAF secretary basic Veron Mosengo-Omba stated regional rotation could not all the time be doable.

“As we speak, solely 5 or 6 nations out of the 54 CAF members are in a position to apply to host the African Cup. Consequently, it won’t be doable to make this alternation,” he stated.

Ivory Coast will host the 2023 Cup of Nations, which has been put again to January and February 2024 because of the wet season in west Africa.

“The timing is just not supreme,” Motsepe has stated, referring to the match falling in the course of the European membership season.

“However we couldn’t danger the match being disrupted by inclement climate,” added the South African billionaire, who was appointed CAF president in 2021.

Stars who should depart their golf equipment for the African match embrace Mohamed Salah of Liverpool, Andre Onana of Manchester United and Victor Osimhen of Napoli.

The Cup of Nations has grown from a three-team match in Sudan in 1957 to a 24-team occasion since 2019, and attracts a worldwide TV viewers.

Egypt have been probably the most profitable nation with seven titles, together with three in a row from 2006. Cameroon triumphed 5 instances and Ghana are four-time champions.

The road-up for the subsequent version in 5 Ivorian cities consists of the highest 16 African nations within the newest FIFA rankings, led by 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco.

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