Every major international competition generates its share of criticism. However, AFCON 2025 in Morocco appears to have reached a particular threshold. Since the kickoff, social media and certain media outlets have been relaying an accumulation of negative narratives, often disconnected from the actual responsibilities or observable facts. The line between analysis and disinformation becomes blurred.
The first mechanism relies on conflation. Occasional malfunctions are presented as structural issues. An isolated problem becomes evidence of general disorganization. Nuance disappears in favor of a global anxiety-inducing narrative, which is more marketable but less faithful to the reality on the ground.
Ticketing serves as the most illustrative example. The technical difficulties encountered by some supporters were immediately attributed to the Moroccan organization, even though ticketing management falls under the African Football Confederation. By mixing logistical organizer with the competition's organizing authority, the narrative artificially shifts the responsibility.
Another frequently employed lever is biased comparison. The standards applied to AFCON 2025 are sometimes stricter than those observed during previous editions, without contextualization. Unfavorable weather, exceptional attendance, or security constraints become 'evidence' of failure, where they are typically handled as normal parameters of a continental event.
Disinformation also operates through selection. Successes are minimized or ignored, while incidents are amplified. Pitches praised by players, managed security, adherence to schedules, reception of delegations, and upgraded infrastructure: these elements often disappear from the dominant media narrative because they contradict the dysfunction narrative.
In some cases, criticism shifts towards intent. It’s no longer the event being judged, but the host country itself. Sports organization becomes a pretext to question an image, ambition, or regional positioning. AFCON then transforms into a battleground for political and symbolic rivalries.
This phenomenon is not trivial. In the age of social media, perception often precedes reality. A repeated piece of information, even if approximate, ultimately becomes established as emotional truth. The danger is not critique, which is essential for any healthy debate, but the construction of a biased narrative presented as factual.
In response to this dynamic, the answer cannot be purely defensive. It must be factual, documented, and coherent. Clearly distinguishing responsibilities, recalling organizational frameworks, and contextualizing each incident have become issues of credibility as much as of communication.
Thus, AFCON 2025 illustrates a broader reality: major competitions are no longer won solely on the field or in the stadiums. They are also played in the informational space. And in this battle, the rigor of facts remains the only lasting antidote to disinformation.
