The president of the African Football Confederation, Patrice Motsepe, visiting Côte d'Ivoire on Monday, said he was "reassured" by the progress of the infrastructure for the CAN-2023 which will be played in the country.

"We are confident that the CAN that you are going to organize here will be the best. We are reassured by the various infrastructures that you have put in place to host this competition", indicated the South African leader after a meeting. with the Ivorian President, Alassane Ouattara.

"I am satisfied with the progress made, although there are still a few issues to be resolved," he added.

Six stadiums are under construction or renovation for the competition which will take place from June 23 to July 23, 2023.

Three of them are almost complete: that of Ebimpé in the suburbs of Abidjan (60,000 places), that of Bouaké (center) which has been renovated to increase to 40,000 places and that of Yamoussoukro (center, 20,000 places ).

The San Pedro stadium (southwest, 20,000 seats) is 70% complete while that of Korhogo (north, 20,000 seats) is 64% complete, according to the National Sports Office, which oversees sports infrastructure .

The renovation of the historic Félix-Houphouët-Boigny stadium (33,000 seats), in the heart of Abidjan, is taking longer, and is currently only 25% complete.

Turmoil within the Ivorian federation

On Monday, Patrice Motsepe also mentioned the election for the presidency of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) scheduled for April, but repeatedly postponed.

"I have to meet with the election stakeholders. There will be no loser. The football of this country deserves unity," said the African football boss.

This election has caused a stir within the FIF in recent months.

Former Chelsea star striker Didier Drogba is among the candidates but does not enjoy strong support among Ivorian clubs.

FIF was placed under guardianship in December 2020 by FIFA, which set up a "Standardization Committee" to try to resolve this crisis.

With AFP

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