The Confederation of African Football's (CAF) president has assured fans that they will be implementing a "zero tolerance" approach towards stadium risks at the competition in January.

The announcement comes following a stampede outside the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon during the 2022 event.

Ivory Coast will host the tournament this year, with two test events being held in Abidjan during this month's international break.

When hosts Cameroon took on Comoros in January last year, gates were left open due to the influx of spectators. The incident was a fatal one, as at least eight lives were lost in Yaounde.

Mistakes were made, and CAF president Patrice Motsepe acknowledged they were "avoidable".

"Some mistakes were made, and some of those mistakes were avoidable. There's a huge amount of focus because the safety of our spectators is crucial," Motsepe told BBC Sport Africa.

"When families come to watch a football match, they have to be absolutely assured that, from a CAF perspective, we have done everything possible to make sure that the facilities and the infrastructure are safe. There's zero tolerance."

Motsepe added that the role of the media played a big part in the decision-making for the upcoming tournament.

"Part of the role of the media is to criticise us, to identify those areas where there are deficiencies and weaknesses," he said.

"That's why it's very, very important that we work together with the media so that they can help us identify some of the areas which, in your [media] view, require urgent attention."