Guinea head coach Paulo Duarte has explained why he missed the pre-match press conference ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations clash against South Africa at Orlando Amstel Arena.
Duarte was notably absent from the scheduled media engagement before Saturday’s Group D encounter, with Guinea instead represented without their head coach.
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The Portuguese coach addressed the situation after the match, apologising for the no-show while insisting his priority had been preparing his team for the fixture.
Guinea ultimately suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa at Orlando Amstel Arena, leaving Duarte’s side without points from their opening AFCON 2027 qualifying encounter.
“I’m sorry for what happened yesterday, but it wasn’t my fault, the training was at 15h00 and the press conference, 15 minutes before, I have to train, I have to prepare,” Duarte said in his post-match press conference.
“Guinea pay me, CAF don’t pay me, so I apologise for that.”
Duarte’s comments suggest the scheduling of the media duties conflicted directly with Guinea’s preparations for their opening qualifier, with the coach choosing to remain with his squad rather than attend the press conference.
The defeat to South Africa means Guinea will now have to regroup quickly as their AFCON qualifying campaign continues, with Duarte looking to get his side back on track after a narrow loss in Johannesburg.