Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick says they plan to step in and host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations – but the Confederation of African Football (Caf) insists the tournament will be staged in Guinea.
Pinnick made the announcement on Tuesday during an emergency Zoom meeting, informing the Caf executives of Nigeria's interest to co-host the 2025 tournament with Benin.
However, the political situation in Guinea, under military rule since a coup last year, has led to serious concerns over security and organization for the 2025 finals.
Some media reports have suggested the event could be moved away from the West African nation, but a top CAF official says neither his organization nor Guinean football officials have discussed such events.
“The host for the 2025 tournament remains Guinea and that has not changed,” he told BBC Sport Africa.
“We've not discussed anything about a replacement or received any communication from Guinea about the inability to host. At this very moment, everything is on track for Guinea to host and there is no reason to suggest otherwise.”
Organizational issues, a packed football calendar following the coronavirus pandemic and weather conditions have all forced Caf to alter its schedule for its premier international tournament in recent years.
Three-time African champions Nigeria want to take on another Nations Cup finals, having co-hosted with Ghana in 2000 and been the sole organizers in 1980.
Winners on home soil 42 years ago, Nigeria lost the 2000 Nations Cup final to Cameroon – an event generally considered to be a success.
The last major tournament Nigeria hosted was the Fifa Under-17 World Cup in 2009.
This article was most recently revised and updated 2 years ago
