Guinea's military junta to release funds to host Africa Cup of Nations in 2025

There were protests in the Guinean capital Conakry last month after supporters of the country's opposition party were prevented from staging a march

Guinea's military junta has insisted it is committed to hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, and will release funds and fast-track access to land to help the country's preparations.

The announcement on Monday came ahead of a two-day visit by the Confederation of African Football (Caf) to monitor Guinea's progress on staging the event.

The political situation in the West African country, which has been under military rule since a coup last year, has led to concerns over security and organisation for the 2025 finals, which saw Nigeria offer to step in.

However, the head of Guinea's military government, Col Mamady Doumbouya, declared that hosting the 2025 Nations Cup was an issue of "national and priority interest".

All spending for organisational needs will be processed "as a matter of urgency", he said in a decree on state TV.

The junta also declared that land needed for the tournament will fall into the category of public interest, and any property transactions or work not related to the competition will be banned on these sites.

Hosting the 24-team Nations Cup, Africa's biggest sporting event, is a major challenge for Guinea, which lacks sporting infrastructure and transport.

The country was originally scheduled to be the venue the competition in 2023, but this was pushed back by two years when the list of organising nations was reshuffled in early 2019.

The 2023 event will instead be hosted by Ivory Coast, but will be played in January and February 2024 to avoid the rainy season in the West African country.

Nations Cup 2025 'is for Guinea'

Col Mamady Doumbouya was sworn in as Guinea's head of state last October

Col Doumbouya led a military coup last September which toppled the country's elected president, Alpha Conde.

The takeover has stirred frictions with the influential West African bloc Ecowas, which has been pushing for an early return to civilian rule.

Back in May, Col Doumbouya announced Guinea would return to civilian rule after a 39-month transition period, adding his proposal would put to the country's parliament.

Meanwhile, the military government says it will stick by the country's commitment to host the 2025 Nations Cup.

"This Africa Cup of Nations is for Guinea," the country's Minister of Youth and Sports, Lansana Bea Diallo, said earlier this month.

"So, I would like to tell all those who are candidates to position themselves for 2027, 2029 or 2031. 2025 is for Guinea."

After some media reports suggested the finals could be moved away from the West African nation, a top Caf official said last month that neither his organisation nor Guinean football officials had discussed such events.

In March, Col Doumbouya named a fresh Nations Cup organising committee after one of its members publicly doubted whether the scheme was feasible.