Ivory Coast: can the rainy season jeopardize CAN 2023?

One year before the 2023 African Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire, the stoppage of the derby between Africa Sports and the Stade d'Abidjan, due to heavy rains, raises fears of the worst for the CAN. Should the competition dates be changed?

Last Monday, on the occasion of the derby of the capital in Côte d'Ivoire, the match between the Stade d'Abidjan and Africa Sports was stopped after 24 minutes of play. A simple Ligue 2 match, played at the Robert-Champroux stadium, but which caused a big debate. If this stadium is not one of those planned for renovation to host the CAN 2023, the bad weather, recurrent at this time of the year, raises the question of the next African Cup of Nations in Côte d'Ivoire.

Indeed, the second quarter of the year marks the rainy season in the south of Côte d'Ivoire, while the following three months herald torrential rains in the north.

And, precisely, the 2023 African Cup of Nations, which will be played in Côte d'Ivoire, will take place between June 23 and July 23 next year. Right when the rainy season will cover the entire country. Torrential rains that can last up to eight hours in a row. Unable to play football in the majority of cases.

Read: Ivory Coast: new appointments including the head of CAN 2023

So, on the side of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), President Patrice Motsepe said, in April, "reassured by the infrastructures put in place to host" the CAN 2023. However, Motsepe said the same thing about the preparations for the last edition in Cameroon, which was a failure in terms of logistics.

Beyond the construction and renovation of Ivorian stadiums for CAN 2023, the weather is another matter.

Flood in Abidjan plateau this morning! Strong more since 4H. Pay attention.
With all that they want to organize the CAN in June/July in Côte d'Ivoire. @amrnfahmy @caf_online_FR @hpenot_lequipe @DavidKalfa @Mansour_Loum #CAN2023 #civ #civ225 @CAF_Online pic.twitter.com/CjDnlQ2C00

— SUPPORTAUXELEPHANTS🇨🇮 (@saedeciv) June 21, 2022

The reassuring Ivorian authorities

The Ivorian Minister of Sports, president of the organizing committee of CAN 2023, François Amichia Albert, says he is "prepared". “We are an equatorial country that has always suffered from this weather. (…) Lawns can be a problem, but we are working on effective drainage systems,” he explains.

In Côte d'Ivoire, many media are calling for the competition to be postponed for a few months, believing that what happened on Monday is a harbinger of complications for the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) and the supervisory ministry.

A case that makes people talk, even more so when the stadium work schedules are experiencing many delays. The renovation of the Félix-Houphouët-Boigny stadium, for example, should be completed in December, with a margin of error. However, the work, which began in 2020, is still in its infancy. Asked about the subject, the Portuguese company which is directing the work refused to answer France 24.

On the other hand, three of the six stadiums planned for CAN 2023 are almost finished. But, according to sports journalist Serge Dakoury, “unfortunate experiences that occurred long before Côte d'Ivoire was selected as host country led CAF to be more vigilant. It is about its credibility and its image. It is not known if the journalist is referring to the numerous postponements of the CAN in Cameroon, or to potential acts of sabotage.

In any case, the Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara has personally committed to ensuring that everything is "delivered on time". It remains to be hoped that the country of the Elephants will not experience the same scandals as Cameroon in its preparations for the great football festival.