AFCON 2025: Euromed University of Fes at the heart of the debate on soft power, identity and governance of African football

Fez, January 05, 2026 – In partnership with the AFCON Organizing Committee, Euromed University of Fes organized a high-level conference-debate under the theme: “AFCON 25: soft power, identity and governance of African football”. In his opening address, Professor Mostapha Bousmina, President of Euromed University of Fes, recalled the importance of sport, and in particular football, as a lever of influence, cohesion and structuring at the African level. He also emphasized Morocco’s central role in organizing major continental sporting events, highlighting the Kingdom’s efforts in infrastructure, sports governance, training and anticipation, for an exemplary organization of AFCON and in preparation for a larger global event: the 2030 World Cup.

Presented before an audience of nearly 600 participants, this conference was structured around two thematic panels, allowing a concrete discussion of AFCON’s role in contemporary African dynamics, with cross-perspectives among institutional, academic and operational actors. Among the speakers were institutional figures, academics and leading experts in the fields of sport and governance, including Mr. Camille Bounama Sylla, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone; Mr. Abdellatif El Mouktarid, Representative of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation; Prof. Abdesselam Mili, Director of school sports promotion; Mr. Omar Bennis, President of the MAS Club Association; Mr. Birouk Amine, sports journalist, alongside university professors, specialists in sports governance and actors from national and continental football.

The speakers highlighted the opportunities offered by hosting AFCON 2025 in Morocco, as a lever of international influence, African cooperation and sustainable valorization of sports infrastructure, while addressing issues related to ethics and integrity in sports governance.

Through this initiative, Euromed University of Fes confirms its role as a platform for academic and cultural exchange and reflection, capable of bringing together academic experts, institutional decision-makers and field actors around major contemporary sporting issues. By placing AFCON 2025 at the heart of a structured, rich and informative debate, UEMF fostered a strategic and comprehensive reflection on the future of African football, beyond the sporting event itself.