Guinea coach Paulo Duarte skips press conference before South Africa clash

Guinea head coach Paulo Duarte did not attend his scheduled pre-match press conference before Friday’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa, prompting speculation that the decision was linked to tactical secrecy or mind games.

The match between Guinea and Bafana Bafana will take place at Orlando Amstel Arena, with kick-off at 3pm. Duarte’s absence meant Guinea were represented by third assistant coach Mamadouba Sylla and defensive midfielder Mory Konate.

Duarte appeared fit and healthy during Guinea’s training session, but his decision to miss the media briefing comes at a difficult time for the Portuguese manager. The Syli National are aiming to start their qualifying campaign with a positive result and avoid missing a second successive continental tournament.

Since taking charge of Guinea, Duarte has recorded only one victory, which came in his first match in charge. His subsequent record consists of two draws and two defeats. Four of those matches were international friendlies, but pressure on the manager is growing as Guinea prepare for a competitive fixture against South Africa.

Konate rejected the suggestion that Duarte’s absence indicated panic within the squad or represented an attempt to unsettle their opponents.

“I don’t think that’s one of the reasons he didn’t come to the press conference,” Konate said. “The team is really motivated. The players want to impress and play well. Obviously, they want to get a result against South Africa.”

He also played down the significance of Guinea’s recent run without a win, saying the friendly matches had been used to assess players and build a settled team before the qualifiers.

“It was mostly friendly games, so the coach decided to rotate the team and give a chance to new players,” Konate explained. “So, I don’t think the results mattered to him a lot. He wanted to have a team that gels together so that when they start the qualifiers, you can see the real Guinea.”

Guinea will also be without captain and influential midfielder Naby Keita, who turned down his call-up for personal reasons.

Keita’s absence leaves Guinea without one of their most prominent players for the opening qualifier. Failure to earn a result against South Africa would increase the scrutiny on Duarte, whose side are under pressure to begin their qualification campaign strongly.