By OUR CORRESPONDENT
The Chairman of Kenya’s Local Organising Committee for the Africa Nations Championship (Chan) Nicholas Musonye and CEO Myke Rabar have concluded their tour of Dar es Salaam, happy with the progress in Tanzania’s preparations for the tournament in August.
The two officials visited competition and training venues in the Tanzanian capital and also attended the signing of a sponsorship extension between the Confederation of African Football (Caf) and French petroleum company TotalEnergies at the Dar Hyatt Hotel.
On Tuesday, Caf announced the dates for the Chan tournament to be co-hosted by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania with the opening match to be played on August 2 and the final on August 30.
“We are happy with the co-ordination between Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in preparations for the tournament,” Musonye said.
“We have visited Dar’s competition venue, the Benjamin Mkapa Stadium, and training grounds for the Chan competition and I must say, as the three nations, we are all set for the competition even if it were to be held in the initial dates in February. It’s now basically working on the finishing touches and promotion,” he added.
Caf President Dr Patrice Motsepe confirmed that Caf’s executive met in Rabat on Monday and looked at a detailed update of the Africa Nations Championship (Afcon) besides receiving an update on the progress in the organization of the Chan tournament.
“The (Caf) executive committee also received an update on the TotalEnergies Caf African Nations Championship… The Competition will now kick-off on Saturday, August 2, and the final will be played on August 30, 2025,” Caf also said in a statement on Tuesday.
Dr Motsepe also concluded an agreement extending Caf’s partnership with TotalEnergies for a further four years with Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies.
TotalEnergies are the title sponsors of both Afcon and Chan tournaments. The renewed deal with TotalEnergies will now see the oil firm sponsor 12 major Caf events and competitions from this year to 2028. These include the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2024, TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, and TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda 2027, among other tournaments.
TotalEnergies will also continue to promote football for young girls and boys in Africa.
“CAF is excited to continue its partnership with TotalEnergies and its Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné, whom I respect and have known for many years,” Motsepe said at Dar’s Hyatt Hotel on Tuesday evening.
