CAN 2025: Euromed University of Fes at the Heart of the Debate on Soft Power, Identity, and the Governance of African Football

Fez, January 5, 2026 – In partnership with the Organizing Committee of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Euromed University of Fes organized a high-level conference-debate under the theme: "AFCON 25: Soft Power, Identity, and the Governance of African Football." In his opening address for the meeting, Professor Mostapha Bousmina, President of the Euromed University of Fes, recalled the importance of sport, and particularly football, as a lever for influence, cohesion, and structuring on an African scale. He also emphasized Morocco's central role in organizing major continental sporting events, highlighting the Kingdom's efforts in terms of infrastructure, sports governance, training, and foresight, for an exemplary organization of AFCON and in preparation for a larger event on a global scale: the 2030 World Cup.

Presented to an audience of nearly 600 participants, this conference was structured around two thematic panels, allowing for a concrete discussion on the role of AFCON in contemporary African dynamics, with cross-perspectives from institutional, academic, and operational stakeholders. Among the speakers were notably institutional personalities, academics, and leading experts in the fields of sport and its 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 for international influence, African cooperation, and the sustainable valorization of sports infrastructure, while also addressing the challenges related to ethics and integrity in sports governance.

Through this initiative, the 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 instructive debate, UEMF has fostered a strategic and comprehensive reflection on the future of African football, beyond the sporting event itself.