“My initial worries about the competition were quickly dispelled by the high standard of organization by the Local Organising Committee (COCHAN) from the onset.” Said CAF President
Mr. President, what’s your impression of the maiden edition of the African Nations Championship?
I am highly impressed with the level of the competition. The Executive Committee took up the challenge of organizing a tournament restricted to players participating in the domestic leagues. It was a very big challenge but the aim was to strengthen the leagues across the continent.
My initial worries about the competition were quickly dispelled by the high standard of organization by the Local Organising Committee (COCHAN) from the onset.
I therefore commend the Cote D’Ivoire government, headed by President Laurent Gbagbo, Prime Minister Guillaume Soro, COCHAN Chairman Jacques Anouma and his team for their tremendous efforts at ensuring a successful competition.
We have never regretted on our choice of Cote D’Ivoire as the hosts, and throughout my stay, I always hear of national reconciliation and peace.
Being a novelty, has it met CAF’s expectation?
The standard has been very high and we are satisfied. Most of the teams paraded virtually their national teams Libya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, Others; a representation of the best clubs in their respective leagues.
All the matches were highly competitive and all the post reports are positive.
I strongly believe some of the teams who withdrew from the tournament must be regretting their actions. The results are there for all to see. I am convinced that the CHAN trophy will soon become one of the most sought after on the continent.
One of the Presidents of the National Associations told me “The African Cup of Nations remains a dream not attainable in the near future. But with CHAN, this dream can become a reality.
Has the absence of some football giants; Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Angola, Morocco been-as detrimental to the media coverage of the tournament?
From the statistics provided by the CAF Communications Division, about 600 media personnel from the print and electronic have been accredited for the tournament.
This is just the beginning, and the results give a positive indication of the future tourneys.
The second edition will see 16 teams. Like the African Cup of Nations, it took some time before gaining the state as the third biggest football tournament behind the FIFA World Cup and European Championship.
CAF is committed to the development of football in our national associations and the CHAN is a step towards achieving that.
How would you rate the organizational aspects of the tournament?
As mentioned earlier, Cote D’Ivoire has fully satisfied all the requirements as far as organization of the tournament is concerned and it will serve the standard for future competitions.
I hope this will motivate them to bid for the hosting rights of the Africa Cup of Nations since 1984.
During my stay, I honoured an invitation from ASEC Mimosas Academy for a familiarization tour of its facilities. The facilities are comparable to that of most European clubs and I entreat clubs across the continent to follow suit. If most of the famous clubs can boast such a facility, African football will achieve an enviable height.
As President of CAF, I am very proud of the work they have done and it is an example for all.
On the pitch, the tournament saw some display as well as handful of indisciplinary actions. What does it mean for African football?
It is a positive mark and it is one of major satisfactions regarding the tournament. The players exhibited high level of discipline and I commend them on that. For the referees, the performance was encouraging and I have absolute confidence in African referees. The battle for fair play was won in Côte d\\\’Ivoire.
Two of the shortfalls were the low number of goals scored and the absence of large crowd in Abidjan during matches. Do you share this view?
Many of the players for the tournament had no international experience. It could be comparable to the issue of a musician singing in public for the first time. We can’t blame them for not scoring more goals.
The CHAN serves as a platform for most players to gain entry into the Team “A” and the experience will be beneficial to their respective careers.
For the Cote D’Ivoire team, the opening match was not good for them. The President was around, the stadium packed and the pressure was enormous.
Instead of criticizing them, they should rather be encouraged. A defeat in sport should never mark the downfall of an athlete. As a former athlete, we are sometimes excessive in praise and in criticism. The best win remains the fundamental principle of competitive sport.
Sixteen teams in the next edition. What else?
The same criticisms came-up when we increased the number of participants in the Africa Cup of Nations from 12 to 16 teams. We were touted as “crazy” when we gave the hosting rights of the African Cup of Nations to Burkina Faso and Mali in 1998 and 2002 respectively.
Our aim is to encourage the development of infrastructure in all countries.
Since I took over the reigns of CAF, CAF has significantly increased its schedule. We have created new competitions and have merged the CAF Cup and Cup Winners Cup into the Confederation Cup. We know where we want to go: further and higher.
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