The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has postponed the African Nations Championship, which was initially slated to start on February 1, 2025.
Kenya, which was set to co-host the tournament alongside her East African neighbours Uganda and Tanzania, will have to wait a bit longer, with CAF revealing the tournament will take place in August 2025.
In an official statement from CAF, the African football governing body acknowledged the progress Kenya had made in preparing to host the games but admitted the infrastructure levels were still not up to standards.
The decision to postpone the tournament came after CAF Technical and Infrastructure experts conducted a thorough inspection of the progress made on facilities across the East African countries, including Kenya.
An aerial view of Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani during ongoing construction works.
Ministry of Sports
According to CAF, the experts “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.”
CAF President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe confirmed the latest development but expressed gratitude to President William Ruto and his East African counterparts for the effort in trying to meet the deadlines before the initial February 1 date.
“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,” he said.
Despite the postponement, CAF is still expected to conduct the CHAN draw in Nairobi, on Wednesday 15 at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. The draw is set to take 8:00 pm Nairobi time.
The latest development will come as a blow, particularly to Kenya’s sports docket, which was intent on proving to the continent its ability to meet deadlines.
On Sunday, new Sports CS Salim Mvurya was upbeat and confident that the 60,000-capacity Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani and the 30,000 Nyayo National Stadium were ready to host the competition.
“When you see the draw taking place here, it shows that our preparations have been top-notch, and we are ready to host the tournament,” Mvurya said during a press briefing.
A spot-check on the stadia revealed that despite immense efforts, the Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani was still lagging in some sections, while the Nyayo Stadium was 80% complete, with grass and dressing rooms being the key areas that underwent revamping.
Ongoing investigations of Kasarani Stadium, November 4, 2024.
Photo
Murkomen