CHAN postponed to August as infrastructure concerns delay kickoff

The African Nations Championship (CHAN), originally scheduled to begin on February 1, has been postponed to August, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday. The tournament, featuring national teams composed solely of home-based players, was set to be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. However, delays in the readiness of infrastructure have forced a rescheduling.

CAF issued a statement explaining the decision, highlighting progress in construction and upgrades to stadiums, training grounds, hotels, hospitals, and other facilities in the three East African nations. “Good progress has been made… However, the CAF technical and infrastructure experts have advised that more time is required to ensure that the infrastructure and facilities are at the levels necessary for hosting a successful CHAN,” the statement read.

The postponement follows a recent visit by CAF President Patrice Motsepe to Kenya, where he met with Kenyan President William Ruto to address delays. Despite the setback, the tournament’s draw will proceed as planned in Nairobi on Wednesday, with exact dates for the August event to be announced later.

Introduced in 2007 to promote home-based players, CHAN has faced waning interest in recent years. Several major football nations, including Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, and Tunisia, opted not to participate in this edition’s qualifiers.

(Source: Reuters)