Ivorian journalist Mamadou Gaye walked back his spicy takes about East Africa not being ready for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations. He claimed his comments weren't meant to diss the region or its people, but he's still standing firm that Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania haven't prepped enough for the continental tournament. Gaye argued that Morocco's 2025 AFCON hosting gig raised the bar significantly for infrastructure, transport, and organization.
He said the three countries aren't properly ready right now and pointed out that Morocco stepped in because Guinea couldn't pull it off. Gaye warned that delays or failures would obviously get the tournament yanked from the East African hosts. He noted that Cote d'Ivoire was more developed than Morocco back in the 1980s, but things flipped hard since then.
Gaye praised Morocco's modern setup with integrated transport that lets people cruise between venues on highways, speed trains, rail, and buses at first-class levels. He said he expects sub-Saharan Africa to hit that standard. The journalist admitted East Africa made progress but questioned whether the region meets AFCON's scale demands right now.
Gaye visited East Africa and said that, like most West African countries, everything outside the capital cities turns into bush. He complained about the lack of top-class stadiums and travel times between host cities. The roads might be decent, but they're not highways, and trips take forever. He brought up Kenya losing hosting rights in the 1990s as a warning, noting that the 1996 AFCON went to South Africa after Kenya wasn't ready.
Gaye referenced Morocco's opening ceremony, which happened during heavy rain all day and night, but the ball kept rolling. His comments at a pre-AFCON 2025 final press conference with CAF president Patrice Motsepe triggered massive debate and sharp reactions from regional fans and officials. Motsepe shut down suggestions that CAF would strip hosting rights, saying they're not taking the competition away from these countries.
He said the three countries aren't properly ready right now and pointed out that Morocco stepped in because Guinea couldn't pull it off. Gaye warned that delays or failures would obviously get the tournament yanked from the East African hosts. He noted that Cote d'Ivoire was more developed than Morocco back in the 1980s, but things flipped hard since then.
Gaye praised Morocco's modern setup with integrated transport that lets people cruise between venues on highways, speed trains, rail, and buses at first-class levels. He said he expects sub-Saharan Africa to hit that standard. The journalist admitted East Africa made progress but questioned whether the region meets AFCON's scale demands right now.
Gaye visited East Africa and said that, like most West African countries, everything outside the capital cities turns into bush. He complained about the lack of top-class stadiums and travel times between host cities. The roads might be decent, but they're not highways, and trips take forever. He brought up Kenya losing hosting rights in the 1990s as a warning, noting that the 1996 AFCON went to South Africa after Kenya wasn't ready.
Gaye referenced Morocco's opening ceremony, which happened during heavy rain all day and night, but the ball kept rolling. His comments at a pre-AFCON 2025 final press conference with CAF president Patrice Motsepe triggered massive debate and sharp reactions from regional fans and officials. Motsepe shut down suggestions that CAF would strip hosting rights, saying they're not taking the competition away from these countries.
