AFCON
TOPS AND FLOPS OF 2019 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS
The curtain has finally fallen on the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the biggest and the first summer edition. Algeria ended a 29-year wait for a second title on Friday night with a 1-0 victory over Senegal, who again missed out in their quest for a maiden continental crown.
AFP Sport takes a look at the standout performers over the past month in Egypt and those who fell short of expectations:
Tops
Madagascar
Led by charismatic coach Nicolas Dupuis, Madagascar emerged as the surprise team of the tournament with a fairytale run to the quarter-finals. A squad largely comprised of players from the French lower leagues, the ‘Barea’ stunned African giants Nigeria in the group stage and extended their remarkable adventure with a memorable penalty shootout victory over DR Congo in the last 16. After four games without defeat, the exhausted debutants found a Tunisia side ranked 83 places above them a “step too high” to surmount.
Djamel
Belmadi
The straight-talking Belmadi inherited a talented but troubled Algeria squad and rebuilt it into a championship-calibre team. Having taken over a side that failed to advance from the 2017 group stage and endured a woeful World Cup qualifying bid, the 43-year-old succeeded where a series of predecessors could not by turning a drifting side into the sleekest unit in Egypt. Former Cup of Nations-winning coach Claude Le Roy labelled Algeria “Guardiolaesque” in terms of organisation, and the Desert Foxes proved worthy champions, twice defeating the top-ranked nation in Africa to capture the title.
Odion Ighalo
Sharp criticism and death threats almost caused Ighalo to quit Nigeria duty after last year’s World Cup. Following encouragement from coach Gernot Rohr the China-based forward reaffirmed his commitment to the national team and finished top scorer in Egypt with five goals as a young Super Eagles side clinched third place.
The 30-year-old was at his best in the win over holders Cameroon in the last 16, when he scored twice and set up the winner for Alex Iwobi. He announced his international retirement on Saturday after netting the only goal in the play-off against Tunisia.
Ismael Bennacer
The former Arsenal youngster was named player of the tournament after emerging as a core component of Algeria’s midfield. The all-action 21-year-old combined defensive duties with vital contributions in attack and provided three assists, which included setting up Baghdad Bounedjah’s winner in the final. He will join AC Milan from Empoli ahead of the new season and Belmadi singled him out as one to watch for the future.
Flops
Nicolas
Pepe (Cote d’Ivoire)
The in-demand Ivorian forward arrived in Egypt as one of the players to watch after a magnificent season with Lille, his 22 goals in Ligue 1 second only to Kylian Mbappe. He showed glimpses of his ability in the opening 1-0 win over South Africa, but the 24-year-old failed to shine and was left on the bench as his side lost on penalties to Algeria in the quarter-finals.
Clarence
Seedorf
Handed the tricky task of leading Cameroon’s Africa Cup of Nations title defence, Seedorf’s coaching credentials took another hit as the holders were bundled out in the last 16.
He paid the price for what the Cameroon FA described as a “premature” exit as he was sacked scarcely a week later along with assistant Patrick Kluivert, adding to failures at AC Milan, Deportivo La Coruna and Shenzhen.
Egypt
As winners of three of four previous editions in Egypt, the hosts were expected to be chief contenders for a record-extending eighth title. But after sailing through a favourable group, Mohamed Salah and the Pharaohs suffered a shock 1-0 loss to South Africa in the first knockout round.
The fiasco cost coach Javier Aguirre his job and prompted Egyptian FA president Hani Abou Rida to resign. A sexual harassment scandal involving midfielder Amr Warda also reignited a heated debate about women’s rights in the country.
Hakim
Ziyech (Morocco)
The Ajax winger starred as the Dutch giants secured a domestic double and came within seconds of reaching the Champions League final, but after a long season with his club Ziyech struggled to inspire Morocco.
Left out of the 2017 squad, he was hoping to propel the Atlas Lions towards a shot at the title but his missed stoppage-time penalty against Benin hurt Herve Renard’s team dearly as they eventually succumbed to the Squirrels in a shootout in the last 16.
-AFP
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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