Equatorial Guinea’s Sports Minister Reflects on Hosting 2015 AFCON: A Race Against Time
Pascal Francisco Obama Asue, Equatorial Guinea’s Minister of Sports, acknowledged the national team’s unpreparedness for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, saying, “The Nzalang was not prepared for the CAN. We were playing the CEMAC Cup and it fell on us like that.”
Despite this, he emphasized the country’s broader ambition: “We are not here to win the cup but for African sport to win.”
Speaking at a CAF press conference in Bata, the president of the local organizing committee highlighted the remarkable effort to stage the tournament on short notice. “Two months ago, CAF entrusted us with the organization of the CAN. A tournament that usually takes four years to prepare, we are doing it in 50 days, and for that we are proud and happy.”
He confirmed the competition has been incident-free so far, with full stadiums and smooth matches.
Obama Asue stressed the importance of hosting the CAN on African soil: “The CAN should not be held anywhere other than on African soil.”
On logistics, he mentioned ongoing challenges, including missing buses ordered from China, but confirmed that the construction costs for the Mongomo and Ebibeyin stadiums each amounted to 9.5 million CFA francs, excluding electricity and other expenses.
