Nigeria, Benin may step in as CAF strips Guinea of 2025 Afcon hosting rights
Guinea has been stripped of the right to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The development follows a meeting on Friday in Conakry between the country’s interim president Mamady Doumbouya and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) honcho Patrice Motsepe.
“The Executive Committee was unanimous that Guinea will not be ready to host the competition,” CAF said in a statement.
The continental body said that the facilities of the west African nation failed to meet the minimum threshold.
“The Executive Committee took a unanimous decision based on the report as submitted that the tournament is withdrawn from Guinea,” the statement read in part.
“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.”
READ ALSOConfederation of Africa football thinking of postponing AFCON 2023
“I visited Guinea out of respect to the people of Guinea to discuss CAF’s willingness to advise and work together with the football stakeholders to construct and build football infrastructure and facilities in this country, in the light of the decision by CAF not to proceed with the AFCON 2025 in Guinea,” Motsepe said in a statement.
Motsepe was accompanied to the meeting by CAF General Secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba.
A military junta has been in charge of Guinea since September 2021, when Colonel Mamady Doumbouya declared himself interim president.
CAF announced that the bidding for the tournament would be reopened on Saturday.
The continental body now needs a new host for 2025 and reports indicate that the Nigeria Football Federation is plotting a joint bid with Benin.