The CAN 2025 quarter-finals begin Friday in Morocco. Mali and Senegal will open the ball in the afternoon (5 p.m.) before the match awaited – and feared – by an entire country between the Atlas Lions and Cameroon (8 p.m.). Will the atmosphere be there in Tangier and Rabat, the respective theaters of these two posters?
We must hope so because, if the quality of Moroccan infrastructure has been unanimously praised, some have complained about the lack of fervor on site since the start of the competition. This is particularly the case of Hugo Broos, the coach of South Africa, who strongly criticized the atmosphere in the tournament stadiums.
“The usual atmosphere of the African Cup of Nations is not therehe said at the end of December. If entry to the stadium is not free, no one comes to watch the matches. (…) I don’t feel the same vibe as in Ivory Coast (in 2024) or in Gabon (in 2017). “There, we really had the impression that we were in a tournament. »
“No one should do this, it’s wrong”
“When we took the bus to the training center, people were waving flags and greeting us. There is nothing here”added the Bafana Bafana coach. Comments which scandalized in South Africa, where the Minister of Sports publicly spoke out to sharply reframe the national coach.
“It’s the best African Cup in historysaid Gayton McKenzie, quoted by The Herald. I was very furious with the Bafana Bafana coach. You don’t go to a person’s country to insult them on their own land. No one should do that. It’s bad. He’s in hotels. How does he perceive the atmosphere outside? »
“I would like to apologize to the Moroccans for Broos’ commentshe continued. Hats off to the Moroccans. It was the best African Cup of Nations ever, I can guarantee you that. The stadiums and everything else were magnificent. They have proven to the world that Africa is ready to host global events. »
