September 2 – The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has reportedly stripped Guinea of the hosting rights for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, the continent’s flagship event.
“The Executive Committee was unanimous that Guinea will not be ready to host the competition,” wrote CAF in a statement. “The Executive Committee took a unanimous decision based on the report as submitted that the tournament be withdrawn from Guinea.”
“The president suggested that a delegation be sent to Guinea to inform them of the decision taken by EXCO. The Executive Committee resolved to send a delegation to Guinea to inform them of CAF’s decision to withdraw the Africa Cup of Nations, Guinea 2025 from Guinea.”
At the end of August, CAF secretary general Veron Mosengo Omba met with Guinea’s head of state Mamady Doumbouya, but the latest decision throws the African football calendar and CAF into turmoil once more. It means that CAF has failed to host the tournament in the designated host at the designated time in the last decade.
In 2011, Morocco won the hosting rights to host the 2015 tournament and Libya was awarded the 2013 tournament, but the 2011 Libyan civil war prompted Libya and South Africa to trade years, with South Africa stepping in to rescue the 2013 competition and Libya staging the tournament in 2017. But the fighting in Libya led CAF to move the tournament to Gabon in 2017.
The 2015 edition had problems of its own when the Ebola virus spread and Morocco withdrew from staging the finals over concerns over the virus, so the governing body moved the Africa Cup of Nations to Equatorial Guinea.
Egypt took over 2019 hosting rights from Cameroon after doubts emerged the Western African nation had the ability to welcome an expanded 24-team format.
The 2023 finals in Ivory Coast were moved to 2024, CAF confirmed in July.
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