Colonel Doumbouya, who was sworn in as president, pledged Wednesday, August 31 to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) that the African Cup of Nations will take place as planned in Guinea in 2025. He received in Conakry a CAF mission to inquire about the progress of the program while doubt persists as to Guinea's ability to carry it out.

"They came to send a message and this message was to say: 'is 2025 tenable for us (the Guineans) or not'", reported after the meeting the Minister of Sports, Lansana Béa Diallo, whose state television broadcast the remarks on Wednesday evening.

The mission considered the possibility of a postponement to 2026 or 2027, he said.

"The president was clear: 'we have made it a national priority and this national priority is 2025, and we will not go to 2026 or 2027, we will organize it in 2025'", said the minister. .

"And that is the word of the head of state that was given today," he added.

The organization of this event promises to be a challenge for this poor country which is sorely lacking in infrastructure, whether in terms of sports equipment or transport.

CAN-2025 "of national and priority interest"

Colonel Doumbouya appointed a new organizing committee in March, ousting the old team, one of whose members publicly expressed doubts about the feasibility of the project.

Just before the arrival of CAF representatives on Tuesday, he issued a decree declaring the organization of CAN-2025 "of national and priority interest".

The organizing committee confirmed on its Facebook page that CAF had come to seek insurance.

"We did not come to withdraw the organization from Guinea," said one of the members of the delegation, the Beninese Mathurin de Chacus, quoted by the organizing committee.

"We came to see if Guinea has any proposals to convince (CAF) to still trust it for the organization of this CAN-2025," he said according to the organizing committee.

"Today, we are really reassured by Guinea's dispositions," Mathurin de Chacus said after the meeting with Colonel Doumbouya in remarks broadcast by Guinean state television.

Colonel Doumbouya "spoke as a soldier, he is determined to organize the CAN for the Guineans", he added, specifying that the delegation would report on its mission to the CAF.

With AFP

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR