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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera

Analysis: Is Ivory Coast’s AFCON the latest African ‘sportswashing’ case?

AFCON Ivory Coast Africa Football Alassane Ouattara George Weah Sunday Alamba Ghana
Ivorian fans wait for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations match between Ivory Coast and Guinea-Bissau in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Saturday, January 13, 2024 [Sunday Alamba/AP]

Abuja, Nigeria – African dictators have always been some of the biggest sport fans.

Idi Amin of Uganda funded a shopping trip to Libya for his country’s football team after it won the East & Central African Championship in 1976. Ali Bongo brought Lionel Messi into Gabon to lay the foundation for a new stadium before the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

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