The 2023 AFCON, hosted by Ivory Coast, was China's tournament too
Ivory Coast has done an excellent job of hosting the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The West African spent years - and a reported $1 billion - preparing for the tournament. The 2023 AFCON, which will conclude with Sunday’s final between the host nation and Nigeria, also belonged to China, though.
They are, after all, the ones that designed and paid for the construction of three Africa Cup of Nations stadiums including the stadium Sunday’s final will take place at - the Alassane Ouattara Stadium.
The Abidjan venue, completed three years ago at the cost of $257 million, is one of the most impressive stadiums anywhere in Africa. Its construction, however, wouldn’t have been possible without involvement from China.
Without China, Ivory Coast wouldn’t have been able to host AFCON at all.
Roughly half of the $1 billion bill associated with hosting the tournament has been footed by various funds directly linked to the East Asian country.
But why would China write such a big cheque to help host a football tournament on the other side of the world? The answer is wrapped in economics and politics.
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