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 2024 CHAN: Defending champions Senegal, Kenya, Nigeria learn of draw

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• Senegal are the defending champions

 The draw for the finals of the CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) tourna­ment was conduct­ed on Wednesday in Nairobi, with Kenya being pooled in a difficult group.

The East African nation were drawn in Group A alongside two-time winners, Morocco and DR Congo, as well as Angola and Zambia, in a pool packed with past champions and quality teams. The event was held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) with the 19 teams drawn into four groups.

Another host nation, Tanzania, were drawn in Group B and will take on Madagascar, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Central African Republic while c0-host Uganda were pooled in Group C and will come up against Niger, Guinea, Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.

Defending champions, Senegal, found themselves in Group D, which is a four-team pool, and will face Congo, Sudan and Nigeria.

According to the Confedera­tion of African Football (CAF), two teams will have to book their place and join the groups before the tournament, which was earlier scheduled for February 1st to 28th, but was pushed to August, 2025.

A statement from CAF con­firmed: “Two teams must still book their places at the finals, with Al­geria, Comoros, Gambia, Malawi, Egypt, South Africa and Gabon to take part in a qualification cam­paign to fill the slots in the draw for Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.”

The draw was conducted with the assistance of three East African football legends, Uganda’s Hassan Wasswa, Mrisho Ngasa of Tanza­nia and Kenya’s McDonald Mariga. This will be the second time the tournament will be held in East Africa, the first being in 2016 when it was hosted in Rwanda.

Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda were named as co-hosts of the 2024 edition on December 17, 2023 as a dress rehearsal of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AF­CON).

The tournament features na­tional teams consisting of players currently playing in their respective local leagues. The DR Congo and Morocco are the most successful teams in this tournament with two titles each, followed by Tunisia, Libya and incumbent champions Senegal with one title each.

The tournament began life in 2009 with eight teams, which was doubled for the second edition up until the 6th and is currently contested by 19 teams since the 2022 edition.

The conception of this tourna­ment came on September 11, 2007, during a CAF Executive Commit­tee in Johannesburg, South Africa, with the aim being to give home­grown players opportunities to rep­resent their nations and promote their home leagues globally.

The tournament was approved and confirmed in January 2008 before that year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. Following its conclusion of that tournament in February, CAF voted unanimously for Ivory Coast against firm-favor­ite countries like Sudan and Egypt to host the inaugural edition, after which the tournament dates and schedules were confirmed.

The seventh edition was held in Algeria where Senegal won their first title after defeating Algeria in the final 5-4 on penalties after the match ended 0–0. Senegal became the first team to win the Africa Cup of Nations and the African Nations Championship back-to-back. –Flashscore

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Kurt E.S Okraku elected CAF Executive Committee member

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The President of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku, has been successfully elected as a member of the Executive Committee (EXCO) of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The four-year term runs from 2025-2029.

The President, who was elected uncontested, joins the 24-member committee of the powerful body of the continent’s governing body.

Kurt Okraku’s election to the CAF Executive Committee comes as recognition of his remarkable leadership at the Football Association, where he has worked to rejuvenate Ghanaian football since taking office in 2019.

His efforts to enhance transparency, promote grassroots football, women’s football and focus on youth development have been well noted within the African football community.

With Ghana’s strong footballing tradition and legacy, the presence of the GFA boss on the CAF EXCO is seen as an opportunity to advance the interests of the country and help promote football development across Africa.

Mr. Okraku’s role will give Ghana a stronger voice in the decision-making processes that shape the future of football on the continent.

President Simeon-Okraku becomes the sixth Ghanaian to serve on the CAF Executive Committee in a list that includes Ohene Djan, Kobina Hagan, Nana Fredua Mensah, Samuel Okyere, and Kwesi Nyantakyi.

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GFA concludes training of Club Safety and Security Officers and Regional Sports Security Officers

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The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has successfully concluded its training program for Club Safety and Security Officers (CSSOs) and Regional Sports Security Officers (RSSOs).

 This comprehensive training, which took place from March 7 to March 10, 2025, aimed to throw more light on the enhance safety and security measures across Ghanaian football.

The training was conducted zonally, covering all 86 elite clubs and 16 regions. Participants were divided into three zones, with Zone 2 covering the Ashanti, Western, Western North, and Central Regions, and Zones 1 and 3 covering the remaining regions.

The training modules included:

Challenges of Safety and Security in Ghana: Identifying and addressing key safety and security concerns in Ghanaian football.

Roles of the Club Safety and Security Officer (CSSO) and collaboration with Regional Safety and Security Officers (RSSO): Defining the roles and responsibilities of CSSOs and RSSOs, and promoting effective collaboration between them.

Club Safety and Security Officer Checklist: Providing a comprehensive checklist for CSSOs to ensure that all safety and security protocols are in place.

Introduction to the Enhanced Safety and Security Protocols 2025: Introducing new safety and security protocols aimed at improving safety and security at match venues.

Practicum and scenario session: Providing hands-on training and scenario-based exercises to prepare participants for real-world safety and security challenges.

The training workshop was led by DCOP Lydia Donkor, Chairperson of the Security Committee. Others included Capt (Rtd) Nick Owusu, Vice Chairman of the Safety Committee, Julius Ben Emunah, Head of Competitions, John Ansah, Felix Bewu and Emmanuel Osei, members of the Safety and Security Committee.

This training is part of the GFA’s enhanced approach to ensuring improved safety and security at match venues across all competitions.

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Kurt Okraku, Mark Addo, Prosper Addo attend 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo

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President Kurt Edwin Simeon-Okraku has led a three-man Ghanaian delegation to the 14th Extraordinary General Assembly of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt.

The President, who has arrived in Cairo, is being accompanied by Vice-President Mark Addo and General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo Esq.

The GFA boss will CAF chair Zonal meeting of WAFU B on Monday morning as part of several engagements lined up prior to the Extraordinary General Assembly, scheduled for Wednesday March 12.  In attendance will be CAF President, Dr. Patrice Motsepe and General Secretary Véron Mosengo-Omba.

GFA Vice-President Mark Addo and General Secretary Prosper Harrison Addo will also attend the zonal meeting.

After the CAF Zonal Union meetings, it will be followed by a friendly matches featuring CAF officials and African football legends this evening.

The CAF Executive Committee (EXCO) will hold a meeting to discuss progress and the future of African football on Tuesday March 11, 2025 before the Extraordinary General Assembly officially takes place  on Wednesday March 12, 2025, which will be concluded with an official press conference in the afternoon by CAF President, Dr. Motsepe.

Key African football leaders, including presidents of CAF’s 54 Member Associations and its six Zonal Unions, as well as senior international football stakeholders, are attending the three-day event, starting today March 10, 2025.

The 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly will be held in Cairo on Wednesday, 12 March 2025, at the Marriott Mena House.

The event will start at 10h00 Cairo Time (08h00 GMT).

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