By Karim Okanla
BBC Sport, Cotonou |
 Benin were well-supported at Tunisia 2004, but how many fans will attend the youth championship? |
On Saturday, the small West African nation of Benin stages the African Youth Championship for the very first time.
The hosts welcome seven other countries - Angola, Egypt, the Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Nigeria, Mali and Morocco - to their small nation for the under-20 tournament.
Yet as the competition looms, Beninois officials are worried that adverse publicity surrounding the poor preparation of the finals may dampen both local fans' enthusiasm and their willingness to attend games.
 | Group A Benin Ivory Coast Nigeria Mali |
The fourteen edition of the competition will only be staged in the capital Cotonou after plans to play some games in Porto Novo were dropped because of a lack of funds.
In addition to the inadequate funding, the poor quality of the pitches is also said to be giving football authorities sleepless nights.
| Group B Angola Egypt Lesotho Morocco |
And with the fortnight-long tournament just days away, it is unclear whether the changing rooms at the main Friendship Stadium will be ready for use.
Despite all the problems, the two ministers in charge of overseeing sports facilities in Benin, Valentin Aditi Houde and Luc Gnacadja, are in upbeat mood.
"We are confident that we'll add the finishing touches very shortly - and this will be well in advance of Saturday," Gnacadja, the Minister of the Environment, told BBC Sport.
Aditi Houde, the Minister of Sports, urged football enthusiasts to come out in their numbers and support the competition throughout.
Last weekend, the chairman of the local organising committee, Lieutenant Colonel Sebastien Ametepe, went on national television last weekend to say that Benin was ready, but he admitted to wishing for more cash to cover various expenses.
But not everybody in Benin believes that everything will be in order by the time the competition gets underway on Saturday, when Benin entertain Nigeria and Mali take on the Ivory Coast in Group A.
Most are waiting to see what will happen given all the uncertainties that have marred the preparations of the tournament.
One problem is that the pitch at the Rene Pleven Stadium, the tournament's second venue, is awash with weeds that re-surface just hours after they've been removed.
There also seems to be a lack of enthusiasm and public excitement - which is in direct contrast to this time last year when Benin's national team, the Squirrels, made their African Cup of Nations debut in Tunisia.
Furthermore, budget constraints have forced the local organizing committee to post only a few bills and posters at crossroads in the centre of Cotonou.
Some makeshift banners are visible at various roundabouts, but critics say this is not the proper way for a host country to publicise the tournament.
Nonetheless, locals are hoping that by the time the tournament ends with the final on 29 January, African football fans will remember Benin 2005 as a great success.
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We are confident that we'll add the finishing touches well in advance of Saturday 