AFCON
AFCON 2019 IN ALPHABETS
An A to Z of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, which concluded in Cairo Friday with Algeria defeating Senegal 1-0 in a final decided by a Baghdad Bounedjah goal after only two minutes:
A
ALGERIA were crowned African champions a second time after a tournament in which many rival coaches picked them out from early on as the best of the 24 title challengers.
B
BENIN stunned Morocco in the round of 16, winning 4-1 on penalties after playing most of extra time with 10 men following the red-carding of Khaled Adenon.
C
CAMEROON, the defending were eliminated by Nigeria in a second round match that was among the most exciting in the tournament and the loss cost coach Clarence Seedorf his job.
D
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO achieved the biggest win of the tournament by thrashing Zimbabwe 4-0 in Group A with Cedric Bakambu bagging a brace.
E
EGYPT, inspired by Mohamed Salah were shock last-16 casualties, conceding five minutes from time to lose 1-0 against South Africa, and coach Javier Aguirre was sacked almost immediately.
F
FOUR lucky qualifiers made it to the Round of 16 in the new 24-team format.
G
GHANA Black Stars were eliminated after a previous run of six consecutive top-four finishes.
H
Heat ruled the tournament. Temperature was 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), when some mid-afternoon matches kicked off and that affected the pace of most matches.
I
IGHALO, the Nigerian striker, completed a double by finishing as the leading scorer at the finals with five goals having topped the qualifying scoring chart with seven.
J
JUNE and July had the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time instead of January and February meant hundreds of African stars avoided having to choose between their country and European club.
K
KENYA came back at the Africa Cup of Nations after 15 years. Kenya had the satisfaction of defeating east African neighbours Tanzania in a thriller, but were outclassed by Algeria and Senegal.
L
LORCH Thembinkosi of South Africa, starting for the first time in the tournament, scored the goal that shattered Egyptian dreams of a record-extending eighth title.
M
MADAGASCAR the pre-tournament outsiders shocked Nigeria to top Group B, then won a penalty shootout against DR Congo before a jaded side fell to Tunisia in the quarter-finals.
N
NIGERIA finished third for the eighth time to satisfy coach Gernot Rohr, but not some supporters who criticised the selections and tactics of the German.
O
OWN-GOALS were many in the tournament. There were four own goals in the 52 matches with Tunisians Rami Bedoui and Dylan Bronn, Namibian Itamunua Keimuine and Nigerian William Troost-Ekong the unfortunate quartet.
P
PENALTIES, especially in regulation time proved a problem for Senegal with Liverpool star Sadio Mane fluffing two before voluntarily relinquishing the role to Henri Saivet, who missed his lone spot-kick. At the final match, they were denied a penalty by VAR.
Q
QUALITY of the football at the showpiece of African football was often pedestrian with far fewer memorable matches than forgettable ones.
R
RUN of winning every other Cup of Nations from 2012 ended for French coach, Herve Renard when Benin stunned Morocco, whose squad had seemed among the strongest.
S
SADIO Mane-inspired Senegal reached a second final and once again experienced the bitterness of defeat having lost a penalty shootout against Cameroon 17 years ago.
T
TUNISIA finished fourth despite winning only one of seven matches, a 3-0 last-eight drubbing of Madagascar. They drew their first four games and lost the last two.
U
UGANDA did best of the east African qualifiers, finishing second behind Egypt in Group A before stretching Senegal, then they lost coach Sebastien Desabre to Egyptian club Pyramids.
V
VAR (Video Assistant Referee) made its Cup of Nations debut from the last-eight stage and was used mainly to judge handballs with the chief complaint being slow decision making.
W
WEATHER, with 30-plus celsius (86 fahrenheit) temperatures even for night matches, was among the reasons given by the organisers for the many low attendances.
X
X factor was lacking for many of the 24 teams in Egypt. They lacked players with the x factor as coaches emphasised teamwork and organisation over individual brilliance.
Y
YELLOW card given to Senegalese defender, Kalidou Koulibaly proved costly for Senegal in the final match.
Z
ZIMBABWE captain and forward Knowledge Musona was guilty of the miss of the tournament, failing to score from in front of an open goal during a Group A draw with Uganda.
The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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