Gabon loves sport. Football, especially. After having organized, with Equatorial Guinea, the 2012 African Cup of Nations, the country is preparing to host, on Sunday August 3, the Champions Trophy between Bordeaux and PSG. For what ? How ? Explanations from Louis-Claude Moundzieoud, spokesperson for the Organizing Committee of the Major Events of Gabon.
FrancsJeux : How did you obtain the organization of the 2013 Champions Trophy, an official competition of the Professional Football League?
Louis-Claude Moundzieoud : We responded to the call for applications launched by the LFP, which wanted to organize the meeting abroad, as in recent years. A file has been filed. We were, I believe, in competition with Qatar and several American cities. Last November, a delegation from the LFP came to Libreville for the friendly match between Gabon and Portugal. Then we were chosen. A way for the League to pay tribute to African football. You should know that more than 100 players from sub-Saharan Africa are currently playing in French L1.
What were your strengths in landing this organization?
Our infrastructure. Everything had been built, modernized or brought up to standard for CAN 2012. We master the organizational process. And we have, with the Stade de l’Amitié in Libreville, an enclosure suitable for such an event.
Three weeks before the event, where are you?
We are on the right track. Tickets are already on sale. The stadium will be full, around 38 spectators, with an average price of around 500 euros, therefore very accessible. We have obtained the rights to the match for the African continent, we are giving them free of charge to 2 countries.
After the CAN in 2012, the Champions Trophy 2013. Why does Gabon want to establish itself on the international football map?
These two events are part of a global project. In 2009, President Ali Bongo defined his vision of a Gabon in the making, with the objective of making it an emerging country in 2025. Football constitutes an element of this national project, because its impact contributes to making our country known. nation. People now know where to locate Gabon on a map. And then, a match like the Champions Trophy attracts a lot of people. The Girondins de Bordeaux, for example, will take the opportunity to sign a partnership with US Bitan, the training club of André Biyogo Poko, their playmaker, a Gabonese international.
And after the Champions Trophy, what will be the next step?
Next November, the Libreville International Marathon. We also organize a cycling race every year, the Tropicale Amissa Bongo. In the near future, we would also like to host the CAN again, but organizing it as a single host.
Is Gabonese President Ali Bongo a big sports fan?
Before becoming president, he was the manager of a football club. He loves sports, that’s for sure. His wife helps, through her foundation, one of our best athletes, Ruddy Zang Milama, semi-finalist in the 100m at the London Games. They both understood that in a country like Gabon, sport was not only a showcase for the world, but also a social elevator.
