Exclusive interview – Yves Diba-Ilunga: CHAN 2024 will be fiercely contested! | OneFootball

Since its creation, CHAN has grown tremendously. It is especially under the managerial drive of Patrice Motsepe (the president of the Confederation of African Football), whom I salute in passing, that the tournament has developed in a truly spectacular manner.

I give CHAN first place regardless of its level, because it's a genuine platform giving visibility to young Africans whose talents often go unnoticed in the unstructured streets of certain underdeveloped countries. Yves Bissouma (Malian international) from Tottenham is a perfect example.

Of course, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) gives this competition its due value without any discrimination. As for the press, it's sometimes critical, but for good reason: more credibility and quality are demanded.

Sure, the level is bound to be different given the expertise and quality of the competitors. On one hand, you have seasoned players from top leagues worldwide; on the other, young talents looking for their breakthrough. Obviously, this difference in notoriety among the main players brings more visibility to CAN than to CHAN.

It's often said that numbers don't lie. With that in mind, I think the leagues of Morocco and DR Congo are highly competitive, as both countries lead the ranking of the most decorated teams in the competition.

Absolutely, CHAN can push African talents to work even harder and encourage national federations to develop their leagues, provided that quality training is prioritized from a young age so players are almost ready to meet elite-level demands.

Absolutely, CHAN is a competition that plays a major role in the development of African football. It has always been a great showcase for local players—I'm thinking of Morocco's Ayoub Kaâbi and Sofiane Rahimi, who made their mark on the international stage thanks to CHAN, as well as several other Congolese, Malian, Senegalese, and Nigerian players...

Having personally experienced the Ivory Coast 2009 adventure, there's nothing major to criticize about this competition. Of course, there are always small things to improve. It's up to the organizers to identify and address them, especially in terms of communication.

It's very hard to single out a clear favorite. I'd say that teams like DR Congo, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria, and Morocco are best positioned to claim the ultimate prize.

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