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CAF strips Guinea of 2025 AFCON hosting rights, opens bid for new host

The Confederation of African Football has taken away the rights of Guinea to host its main event, the Africa Cup of Nations, in 2025.

The continental governing body announced the decision today and will be inviting bids from other countries for the biennial showpiece.

The decision follows a meeting yesterday in Conakry between Guinea’s interim president, Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, and CAF president, Patrice Motsepe, to discuss the withdrawal.

The poor West African country had admitted that it was not ready to host the 24-nation tournament and CAF had to take action.

“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 today.

“This will enable Guinea to bid with other competing Nations for the African Nations Championships (CHAN) which will take place after the CHAN to be hosted by Algeria in 2023.”

The CAF Executive Committee will meet later today in Algiers, after which they will announce a decision to reopen the bidding process for the 2025 AFCON.

The next AFCON will be hosted by Guinea’s neighbours Cote d’Ivoire in early 2024 after it was moved from mid-2023 due to confirms about heavy rains during that time of the year.

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Naija Times