French father and son endure marathon coach trip to Morocco for AFCON | OneFootball

According to L'Équipe, Sylvain and his son Youen have embarked on a three-week journey to follow the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, choosing coach and ferry over flying.

The idea grew during the 2023 edition in Côte d’Ivoire, watched on TV with Abdou, their Senegalese schoolfriend. Nineteen-year-old Youen, a sociology and geography student, became intent on discovering the next tournament, and Sylvain, a workplace conditions adviser and Morocco devotee, signed up.

They left Paris last Saturday for Tangier. Determined not to fly for ecological reasons, they planned to travel in two days, but 37 scheduled hours turned into 41 after snowfall in Spain forced a long halt. They missed their ferry and arrived at 4 am, while fellow passengers, mostly Moroccan, followed and celebrated goals on their phones.

With no match pencilled in for Monday, they bought tickets for Senegal’s opener against Botswana on Tuesday, a 3-0 win. The stands were sparse but the atmosphere struck them as warm and rugby-like.

Senegalese TV even interviewed the pair about their allegiances. They said they were backing Africa in general, with Sylvain leaning towards Morocco and Senegal, while Nantes fan Youen enjoyed watching without stress and felt South Africa were a little robbed against Egypt, 0-1.

Next comes Tunisia against Nigeria in Fès on Saturday night, then Côte d’Ivoire versus Cameroon in Marrakech on Sunday, before two last-16 ties in Rabat. They praise the hospitality and organisation, though rain has dampened sightseeing.

Once university holidays end, they must return. Sylvain refuses another 40-plus hour slog, so they will take a coach to Spain then the train, and he jokes about hoping not to see the Gwenn ha Du despite being Breton himself.

Source: L'Équipe