AFCON 2027 Qualifiers: Guinea coach Paulo Duarte raises visa concerns ahead of South Africa tie

Guinea coach Paulo Duarte says his side are facing major visa and travel-document problems ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa.

Duarte named a 25-man squad on Wednesday for Guinea’s opening two Group qualifiers, with the Syli National set to travel to South Africa before hosting Kenya in Conakry on 1 October.

However, the Portuguese coach says preparations have been disrupted by difficulties securing visas for several of his players.

Duarte expressed his frustration during his squad announcement press conference, calling for improvements in the administrative support provided to the national team.

“I want Guinea to move forward in terms of organisation, ambition and respect. Today, we have enormous problems because of the visa,” Duarte said, according to Guinee360.

He said it was unacceptable that Guinea’s players did not have service passports, which he believes would make international travel easier for the national team.

“For example, it is unacceptable for me as national coach that, to this day, Guinea does not have a service passport for our players,” he added.

Duarte also highlighted the distances some players have to travel to obtain visas, saying they are sometimes required to make lengthy journeys between countries and cities to reach embassies.

The coach warned that the administrative difficulties can have a direct impact on Guinea’s preparations because players may arrive late at camp.

“It disrupts the training model. It blocks the coach. It blocks the quality of the team’s training. And so, if we train badly, we play badly,” he said.

Guinea face a difficult start to their AFCON qualifying campaign against South Africa before returning home to host Kenya.

Duarte will therefore be hoping the outstanding visa issues can be resolved quickly as Guinea look to begin their campaign with a positive result.