CHAN 2025: CAF postpones tournament to August

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has confirmed the postponement of the CAF African Nations Championship 2025.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, CAF announced that the tournament which was originally scheduled for 1st February to 28 February 2025, will now begin in August 2025.

”Good progress has been made in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda with the construction and upgrading of stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities for the hosting of a successful TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024,”

”However the CAF Technical and Infrastructure experts some of whom have been based in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, have advised CAF that more time is required to ensure that the infrastructure and facilities, are at the levels, necessary for hosting a successful TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024,” a CAF statement said.

The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe said: “I would like to express my deep gratitude to President William Ruto of Kenya, President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda for their leadership, commitment and the good progress that has been made in building and upgrading the stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for hosting a successful TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024.

For months, CAF has contemplated postponing the tournament following logistical and infrastructural setbacks.

With less than a month to the original start date, some of the facilities earmarked to host the tournament, including the Amaan Stadium in Zanzibar City, Tanzania, are still yet to be completed.

However, CAF president Patrice Motsepe expressed optimism that the facilities will be ready in August.

”I am impressed with the ongoing construction and renovations of the football infrastructure and facilities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. I am confident that the stadiums, training fields, hotels, hospitals and other infrastructure and facilities will be at the requisite CAF standards for hosting, in August 2025, a very successful TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (“CHAN”) Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda 2024.”

Logistics aside, there are issues with the participating teams and the qualification criteria.

Originally, the qualifying series was supposed to produce 21 teams, but by December 2024, only 19 teams were confirmed to participate after Egypt and Algeria pulled out of the tournament.

Egypt pulled out of the competition citing scheduling conflicts, but convened an emergency meeting to consider reversing the decision. The Egyptian Football Association is expected to communicate its decision later this week.

Algeria are also expected to make a final decision on their participation in the tournament.

Although these issues have not been resolved, CAF will still proceed with the scheduled draw at 20:25 hours GMT in Nairobi, on Wednesday 15 January 2025.

Source: myjoyonline.com