Could South Africa act as the last-minute saviour to CAF once again to host the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals in 2025?
The chances are big after Guinea pulled out on Friday, with CAF confirming the news via a statement.
“The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe had a meeting today with the Guinea Transition President, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya to discuss the withdrawal by CAF of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (“AFCON”) Guinea 2025, due to the infrastructure and facilities in Guinea not being ready to host a world class AFCON competition. He was accompanied by CAF General Secretary, Mr Véron Mosengo-Omba.”
With Guinea having pulled out, CAF is on the hunt for a new host nation, with the statement adding: “the CAF Executive Committee will be meeting on Saturday, 1 October 2022 in Algiers, Algeria and will take a decision to reopen the bidding process for the TotalEnergies AFCON 2025.”
In this meeting in Algeria, SAFA president Danny Jordaan will be present. He told iDiski Times in short that “I’m in the CAF EXCO meeting in Algiers, Algeria.”
When asked if South Africa would be interested to host the event, he said: “we will receive the report today,” and that will be after the meeting.
With CAF in desperate need to finalise the hosts, South Africa have, in the past two editions as the host, saved the confederation from this embarrassment.
In 1996 when Mzansi hosted it, South Africa was never meant to host it in the first place. The tournament was meant to take place in Kenya, but the Cecafa country pulled out at the last minute.
It represented Mzansi a best opportunity to showcase footballing talent to the world as they went on to win the tournament, just four years after FIFA lifted the ban due to Apartheid era that turned things upside down in South Africa.
Mzansi was also the host in 2013, saving CAF from another embarrassment after Libya pulled out due to the civil war. Libya traded years with South Africa, so that South Africa hosted in 2013 and Libya in 2017.
While in 1996 Bafana won it, in 2013 they couldn’t repeat the trick, losing in the quarter-finals on penalties to Mali at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The next AFCON finals will take place in Ivory Coast in 2024.
