A stadium selected to host the Africa Cup of Nations final proved to be controversial during the tournament as Senegal and Morocco prepare to battle for the trophy this weekend
The Africa Cup of Nations final is on the horizon this weekend, with host nation Morocco likely to sidestep a problem that marred the tournament two years ago. Ivory Coast clinched the coveted trophy on their home turf, but it wasn’t without its share of drama.
In the 2024 final, the home team had to rally from behind after Nigeria’s William Troost-Ekong’s opening goal in the first half. Franck Kessie equalised around the hour mark before Sebastien Haller sealed victory with a winning goal in the final minutes of the game.
Euphoria swept through the 60,000-seat Alassane Ouattara Stadium as the country celebrated their third AFCON victory. However, just months before the tournament, the team’s home ground, which opened in 2020, had sparked national outrage.
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Named after the country’s president, the stadium came with a hefty price tag of around £200 million. Despite the money spent, Ivory Coast’s friendly against Mali was called off at half-time in September 2023 due to a waterlogged pitch caused by heavy rain.
The weather also wreaked havoc away from the grass. Football Ground Guide reported that the downpour had flooded the stadium’s corridors and halls.
The controversial incident came just months before the venue was set to stage the AFCON final and prompted a public apology from the nation’s Sports Minister Claude Paulin Danho. The Confederation of African Football subsequently blamed the problem on algae, which stopped rainwater from penetrating the surface.
Following this, Ouattara demanded an extra £25m investment to fix the issue. Even with the additional funding secured, the playing surface remained far from ideal throughout AFCON.
The competition had already been moved to early 2024, while retaining the 2023 title, due to weather concerns. The Alassane Ouatarra Stadium hosted Ivory Coast’s 2-0 curtain-raiser against Guinea-Bissau.
However, by the fourth AFCON fixture at the ground, the pitch was clearly causing more problems. During the clash between Ivory Coast and Nigeria, Arsenal icon Ian Wright wrote on social media: “The state of this pitch in the Ivory Coast vs Nigeria game! ! ! Ridiculous.”
The tournament marked the first time Ivory Coast had staged AFCON since 1984. Yet the condition of their home turf would not have bothered the players as the team celebrated securing the nation’s first AFCON crown since 2015.
This weekend, attention turns to hosts Morocco as the side looks to claim an elusive AFCON trophy at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. The Atlas Lions haven’t won the competition since 1976.
A penalty shootout triumph against Nigeria secured Morocco’s spot in Sunday’s final. They will go head-to-head with Senegal for the title, following Sadio Mane’s semi-final winning goal against Egypt.