To mark the 32nd edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which is being held in Egypt from June 21 to July 19, 2019—the first to feature 24 teams and take place during the summer—RFI is offering exceptional coverage, broadcasting around 40 matches live on its Africa channel and on its Paris FM station (89 FM). RFI is mobilizing correspondents and special envoys to bring the competition to life for its listeners from the heart of the stadiums. Alongside the programs "Radio Foot Internationale" and "Mondial Sports," the station is adding new features for the occasion: Joseph-Antoine Bell's daily column and the CAN news. The competition can also be followed on digital platforms, notably Afrique Foot, RFI's website dedicated to African soccer, and in images on the RFI Sports Instagram account.
Live matches from the stadiums
The global radio station will broadcast 41 matches* live and in full on its Africa and Paris (89FM) frequencies, with commentary from sports journalists** reporting from stadiums in Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia, and Suez. Joseph-Antoine Bell, former goalkeeper for the Cameroon team and African champion, consultant for RFI since 1998, will also be live during the matches, offering listeners analysis from a leading figure in African football.
Before and after each match broadcast by RFI, Annie Gasnier presents special editions of "Radio Foot Internationale," RFI's flagship program dedicated to soccer, also broadcast on Facebook Live. Presentation of teams and players, review of the match… accompanied by the program's consultants, who are experts in African soccer: Habib Beye, Nabil Djellit, Patrick Juillard, Freddhy Koula, and others.
In the news editions, special correspondents provide live commentary and reports. Correspondents in Egypt, Alexandre Buccianti, Nadia Bletry, and Eric de Lavarene cover the "side stories."
* As the sole holder of terrestrial radio rights for the competition in sub-Saharan Africa, RFI has formed a partnership with the Foundation for the Development of African Football (FDFA). The latter will manage the allocation of sub-licenses for broadcasting the CAN to African public and private radio stations. This cooperation will thus contribute to greater media visibility for African football competitions.
**RFI's special correspondents for French-language sports coverage: Cédric de Oliveira, Thomas de Saint Leger, Antoine Grognet, Christophe Jousset, Eric Mamruth, Hugo Moissonnier Olivier Pron, Frédéric Suteau
Special programs
"Les journaux de la CAN" (AFCON News): every day at 5:40 a.m., 6:40 a.m., 7:40 a.m., 8:40 a.m., and 9:40 a.m., five minutes to learn everything about the latest competition news.
"La chronique quotidienne de Joseph-Antoine Bell" (Joseph-Antoine Bell's daily column): a 5-minute segment, either narrative or forward-looking, depending on his mood. Every day at 2:45 p.m.
"Mondial sports," the sports department's weekly magazine, airs on weekends at 11:30 p.m. and features interviews with players and coaches and reports on the competition during the CAN.
Listen again to the special edition of "L'Atelier des médias" from June 15, 2019, in which Steven Jambot interviewed Christophe Jousset, a journalist with RFI's sports department. Jousset explains how to commentate on a soccer match and shares his anecdotes about the CAN, having covered it eleven times.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Note that Mondoblog, the French-language blogger platform supervised by L'Atelier des médias, is launching #MondoCAN. Around 100 African bloggers will bring you coverage of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations from across the continent.
The Mandinka, Portuguese, and English editorial teams at Radio France Internationale are also offering special coverage, with reports by Ousmane Drabo, Marco Martins, and Paul Myers, respectively.
On the digital environments website
Farid Achache, David Kalfa, and Ndiassé Sambe, special correspondents for Afrique Foot, RFI's website dedicated to African soccer, are in Egypt to bring you the latest news from the matches on digital environments. Together with photographer Pierre René-Worms and videographer Dominique Fiant, they are providing daily reports, interviews, profiles, and behind-the-scenes coverage of the competition. All of the sports department's special correspondents are also working to provide video reports and analysis, which can be found on the radio station's websites and social media accounts.
The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations can also be followed in pictures on the RFI Sports Instagram account.
Internet and mobile users around the world can also follow and comment on the highlights of the matches through live blogs and match summaries.
*LIST OF MATCHES BROADCAST BY RFI
(broadcasting begins half an hour before kick-off)
Friday, June 21
10 p.m. in Cairo: Egypt vs. Zimbabwe
Sunday, June 23
7 p.m. in Cairo: Senegal vs. Tanzania
Tuesday, June 25:
7 p.m. in Ismailia: Cameroon vs. Guinea-Bissau – 10 p.m. in Ismailia: Ghana vs. Benin
Thursday, June 27
4:30 p.m. in Alexandria: Madagascar vs. Burundi – 7 p.m. in Cairo: Senegal vs. Algeria
Saturday, June 29
4:30 p.m. in Suez: Mauritania vs. Angola – 7 p.m. in Ismailia: Cameroon vs. Ghana – 10 p.m. in Ismailia: Benin vs. Guinea-Bissau
Monday, July 1
6 p.m. in Cairo: Namibia vs. Ivory Coast – 9 p.m. in Cairo: Kenya vs. Senegal
Friday, July 5
6 p.m. in Cairo / 9 p.m. in Cairo
Sunday, July 7
6 p.m. in Alexandria / 9 p.m. in Cairo
Wednesday, July 10
6 p.m. in Cairo / 9 p.m. in Cairo
Saturday, June 22
4:30 p.m. in Cairo: DR Congo vs. Uganda – 7 p.m. in Alexandria: Nigeria vs. Burundi – 10 p.m. in Alexandria: Guinea vs. Madagascar
Monday, June 24
4:30 p.m. in Cairo: Ivory Coast vs. South Africa – 10 p.m. in Suez: Mali vs. Mauritania
Wednesday, June 26
4:30 p.m. in Alexandria: Nigeria vs. Guinea – 10 p.m. in Cairo: Egypt vs. DR Congo
Friday, June 28
4:30 p.m. in Suez: Tunisia vs. Mali – 7 p.m. in Cairo: Morocco vs. Ivory Coast
Sunday, June 30
6 p.m. in Cairo: Burundi vs. Guinea – 9 p.m. in Cairo: Zimbabwe vs. DR Congo
Tuesday, July 2
6 p.m. in Ismailia: Benin vs. Cameroon – 9 p.m. in Suez: Mauritania vs. Tunisia 9 p.m. in Ismailia: Angola vs. Mali
ROUND OF 16
Friday, July 5 – 6 p.m. in Cairo / 9 p.m. in Cairo
Saturday, July 6 – 6 p.m. in Alexandria / 9 p.m. in Cairo
Sunday, July 7 – 6 p.m. in Alexandria / 9 p.m. in Cairo
Monday, July 8 6 p.m. in Suez / 9 p.m. in Ismailia
QUARTERFINALS
Wednesday, July 10 – 6 p.m. in Cairo / 9 p.m. in Cairo
Thursday, July 11 – 6 p.m. in Suez / 9 p.m. in Cairo
SEMIFINALS
Sunday, July 14 – 6 p.m. in Cairo / 9 p.m. in Cairo
THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF
Wednesday, July 17 – 6 p.m. in Cairo
FINAL
Friday, July 19 – 9 p.m. in Cairo