“Morocco will be ready to organize the best CAN”

Foot Mercato: What is your role within CAF?

Samson Adamu: I am director of competitions. My responsibility within the CAF is to manage all competitions, that is to say the senior, young, masculine and female, beach soccer and futsal competitions. To summarize, I have to unite and improve the vision of African football and I am responsible for the smooth running of events.

FM: You started your visit to Morocco a few months before the CAN, how did you do it?

SA: We have been working for years, since the allocation of CAN and even before. When the country submits its file with the number of stages. We chose the stadiums together, we took the best. Even when we have allocated this competition in Morocco, the stadiums already corresponded to CAF standards. But we decided, under the proposal of Morocco, to improve stadiums. To make it the best CAN ever organized. Not only for teams but for supporters, fans. To offer a capacity and quality for the CAN, but also for the 2030 World Cup. In terms of visits, currently, it is to see the facilities made so far. I have already come last year too.

FM: How is this CAN in Morocco different?

SA: First, I allow myself to recall each time, when I have the opportunity, that for this CAN in Morocco, it is the first time that CAF will use 9 stages. Normally, it's 6. It will be the widest can we are going to organize, not only in terms of sports infrastructure, but in terms of hotels too. The teams will have a base camp for the first time. They will stay in their hotel from start to finish. They will not move. In the same way as a FIFA World Cup. The teams can focus on their match. The hotels here are 5 -star hotels and the teams will only move the day before and have a new hotel available. It is the best formula.

FM: On social networks, we see a lot of photos of stadiums under construction. Will they be ready in time?

SA: I followed the evolution. It's remarkable. It moves very well, very quickly. And on time. There are stadiums that are even ahead. We are very confident. They will be ready. It is certain that they will be on time, because we even have infrastructure managers who are there and follow the advances. When we also see, the progress that is made in a week, which in some contexts are made in 3 weeks, or even 1 month … if people saw the Mohamed V stadium in Casablanca for example. Three months ago, you could, seeing the photos on social networks, doubt. But the stadium organized the Raja-Wydad derby this weekend. We already have a program of test matches for all stages. They will all be ready 6 months before the start of the competition.

FM: How do you judge other infrastructure, transport, hotels?

SA: The teams will be housed in the best hotels in the country. We always try to have teams that are housed in the same brand. But in this context, it is even better than what we asked for. There are teams in Seasons Four, in Fairmont. We never had in any competition a team that remains in a Season Four when there are other options in the city. But that's the standing. Morocco has a good level in terms of hotel. For logistics, things are determined by the country's ability. We organized several competitions, currently the CAN U17, so we work well together, we know the quality of infrastructure, buses, transport. The selected places will also facilitate the trips of supporters. I left Rabat to Tangier. I chose to take the train, and it was really very comfortable. I think even the teams will sometimes take the train. And CAF will also take care of managing travel. The competition will be made to improve the experience of fans. You can go by car, there are a lot of options. For example, the Rabat stadium, there are bridges that will lead directly to the stadium for supporters.

FM: This edition of CAN in Morocco will be unprecedented since it will be the first with “Camp Base” for each team. Can you tell us more?

SA: Before, the CAN allowed the country to develop its infrastructure and that left an inheritance for the future. But there is different. For this CAN, there was already the base. But Morocco wanted to go even higher, that's why we said that each team will have their own training field. We did this in Egypt. But the difference is that there was need to move there. Here, each team has their own training field not far from their hotel, they can personalize it and there are other land available and even in the city of the match they will play. Each land is “World Class” land.

FM: How did the coaches welcomed this new organization?

SA: We had done a workshop, the day before the draw, with all the coaches. We had presented the project. There were 22 coaches present (out of 24) and they were all impressed. They liked all the things made available. And satisfying a coach, it's complicated. We presented the hotels, we make a draw to find out who was in which hotel. To have an equality system. We are going to make others so that the coaches visit the stadiums.