In Guinea, preparations for the Round of 16 of AFCON 2023 are not going smoothly. A question of bonuses is disturbing the group.
According to information reported by Guinean media outlet 100% Foot and confirmed by RMC Sport, the national Guinean team’s training scheduled for this Thursday, three days before their Round of 16 match in the Africa Cup of Nations, did not take place. The reason cited is the non-payment of a qualification bonus.
Guinea Faces Bonus Issues
This situation does not bode well for preparing for such a crucial Round of 16 match in the Africa Cup of Nations. After finishing third in their group behind Senegal and Cameroon, with a total of four points, Guinea will face Equatorial Guinea on Sunday (at 6 p.m.) in an attempt to secure a spot in the quarter-finals.
Just three days before this encounter, players under the guidance of Kaba Diawara were scheduled to train Thursday afternoon. However, this session was canceled, as reported by Guinean media outlet 100% Foot and confirmed by RMC Sport, due to the non-payment of a qualification bonus estimated at $10,000 (approximately €9,200) per player.
A representative from the Guinean ministry arrived on-site with the promise to return on Saturday with the owed money. However, this promise failed to convince Serhou Guirassy‘s teammates, who decided to boycott training as a form of protest. According to RMC Sport, a solution seemed to be on the verge of being found among all parties, information that was later confirmed by the local press.
Guinea’s Players to Resume Training
Indeed, after initially refusing to train during the day, Guinean players eventually changed their minds late on Thursday, January 25. They decided to resume training starting Friday. However, the question of qualification bonuses for the Round of 16 remains unresolved.
Late on Thursday night, as state representatives brought $10,000 for each player, Kaba Diawara’s team declined the offer, demanding instead a raise to $30,000, as reported by Guinéenews. Despite rejecting the $10,000, players nonetheless agreed to resume training starting Friday.
During the group stage, Guinea started with a draw against Cameroon (1-1), followed by a victory over Gambia (1-0), and concluded with a defeat against Senegal (2-0), the reigning African champions. On the other hand, their upcoming opponent, Equatorial Guinea, earned seven points out of nine possible, with a draw (1-1 against Nigeria) and two convincing victories (4-2 against Guinea-Bissau and 4-0 against Ivory Coast).
Guinea’s Mishaps in this AFCON 2023
This is not the first time, during AFCON 2023, that controversy has surrounded the Guinean national team. First, there was the incident with Vinicius Jr’s jersey and the non-selection of Morlaye Sylla. During the match between Guinea and Brazil on June 18, 2023, Morlaye Sylla had the opportunity to obtain Vinicius Jr’s jersey at the end of the game. However, once in the locker room, Vinicius Jr’s jersey mysteriously disappeared.
Morlaye Sylla then insisted on searching the entire locker room, including coach Kaba Diawara. By accusing his teammates and coach of being “thieves,” the Guinean midfielder created a tense atmosphere in the locker room. So far, he has not apologized to his teammates, which may explain his absence from the list of 25 selected for AFCON 2023.
In addition to this incident, Ibrahima Cissé also stirred up controversy around the Guinean national team. Snubbed from the list of 25 players called up for AFCON 2023, the player lost his temper. “This shitty coach. You have to insult this coach’s mother (he’s not even a coach). This country works backwards. Unbelievable. Zero coherence. I’m not in the mood, those who come to defend this coach, I will insult their mother and block them,” reads a post on the player’s Snapchat account, who previously played for Standard de Liège. He thus put an end to his national team chances with this outburst, which likely sealed his future with the Syli National.
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