Former international Joseph-Antoine Bell says Cameroon will be ready to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, ahead of an inspection visit by the Confederation of African Football (Caf).

Caf is set to tour the various host cities from Friday onwards, amidst long-standing concerns about the country’s preparations.

“Being on track is definitely the truth – Cameroon is on track,” Bell told BBC Sport.

Caf president Ahmad has repeatedly said that an alternative host will be found if Cameroon is not ready on time.

In August, the Malagasy said Cameroon would ‘have to work to convince Caf’ of its ability to host the finals, which expanded from 16 to 24 teams in July.

“I’m not convinced Ahmad wants any problem with anybody,” added the former goalkeeper, who has worked on occasions with the Caf president since his election last March.

“He said Cameroon wasn’t ready but this is because Cameroonian people – especially the press – were leaking such bad news.

“But remember Cameroon hosted the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and they succeeded like nobody before, so why not trust them to do something wonderful.”

Cameroon hosted the Women’s Nations Cup in 2016 to widespread acclaim as vast numbers of spectators turned out for matches in the eight-team tournament.

The inspection visit, which will be carried out by independent business consultancy Roland Berger, will start in Yaounde on 12 January before trips to Garoua, Bafoussam, Douala and either Limbe or Buea.

It will end with a visit to the Caf Centre of Excellence in Mbankomo on 23 January.

“People are behaving like this will be the first and the last inspection,” said Bell, who won two African crowns with Cameroon (in 1984 and 1988).

“This is just the first inspection and it’s coming to see step-by-step how far you are in the preparation of the Nations Cup.

“So it’s not like tomorrow morning they will tell us they will take away the organisation from Cameroon. I know people have talked about this before but it doesn’t work like that.”

“They do not have to be ready now, they have to be ready in at least March 2019. I’m totally convinced Cameroon will be ready.”

The 2019 tournament will take place in June and July after Caf moved the timing of the tournament from January and February.

Morocco, which will host this month’s African Nations Championship, has said it will step in as host should Cameroon be unable to stage Africa’s most prestigious sporting event.

Source: BBC

The performances of the five representatives from the continent at the World Cup in Russia this June will be top of the 2018 agenda for African football‚ but it is also a busy year off the field for the African game. Egypt‚ Morocco‚ Nigeria‚ Senegal and Tunisia fly the flag in mid-year where Africa will be hoping for at least a quarterfinal appearance and hopefully a first-ever side into the semifinals.

But the best team on paper – Morocco – have been handed a horror first round draw in the same group as 2010 World Cup winners Spain and current European champions Portugal‚ puncturing much of the continent’s hope. At the last World Cup in Brazil‚ Algeria and Nigeria made it through to the second round while the Ivory Coast were unlucky not to also get through to the last-16 but it is likely to be a poorer return this time round.

The rest of national teams will be focused on the qualifiers for the 2019 African Nations Cup‚ which resume in September. Rounds two to five of the six-match schedule for each country will be completed by the end of the year with the last qualifiers being played in March 2019.

Off the field‚ the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is to make a decision on the hosting of the next finals‚ which have been expanded to 24 teams. Cameroon insists they are capable of handling the increased numbers but CAF are sending an independent auditing firm to check on their preparations and adjudicate.

But it might come down to a political decision‚ anyway‚ with the new CAF leadership looking to snub former president Issa Hayatou‚ who is from Cameroon‚ and move the tournament to Morocco‚ who have been the biggest backers of new president Ahmad and his transformation plans.

CAF must also settle the issue when the new-look club competition format is introduced plus a raft of top personnel changes are expected at the headquarters in Cairo over the next months. For the moment‚ the two annual club competitions – the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup – will be played from February to November.

The Champions League winner‚ as is tradition‚ goes onto compete at the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. The year starts with the Chan (African Nations Championship) 2018 finals in Morocco‚ who are replacing Kenya as hosts.

The 16-team tournament‚ starting next Friday‚ is for home-based national teams only and hardly raises much interest.

Source: Times Live

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah won the African Player of the Year award on Thursday (Jan 4), the first Egyptian to achieve the feat since 1983.

Fellow Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane of Senegal was runner-up and 2015 winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund and Gabon third.

Joel Matip believes Liverpool team-mates Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane would both be worthy winners of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Player of the Year award. The Reds duo are flying to Ghana to attend Thursday night’s ceremony in Accra. They will return to Merseyside on Friday morning ahead of the FA Cup clash with Everton at Anfield.

Salah and Mane are joined on the three-man shortlist by Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Liverpool’s 23-goal top scorer Salah, who also fired Egypt to the World Cup in Russia, is the favourite to lift the trophy.

Former Cameroon international Matip said: “I don’t know who will win but I hope it will be Mo or Sadio.

“They both had a great year. It’s a joy to watch them playing football. Liverpool’s record signing Virgil van Dijk pictured training with Reds for the first time

“It’s a great honour for Liverpool to have two of the three players who are on the shortlist for such a big award. “That says everything about the quality they bring and what they have achieved over the past 12 months.”

Source: The Echo

Cameroon president Paul Biya has reiterated that his country will be ready to host the next African Cup of Nations (AFCON) slated for next year. Speaking in his End-of-Year address to the nation, Biya said he had personally made a commitment to that effect as that Cameroon will put its best foot forward come 2017.

“As you are aware, in 2019, our country will host the large continental football family on the occasion of the Africa Cup of Nations. Beyond the purely sporting aspect, this will avail us an opportunity to offer our guests Cameroon’s warm hospitality.

“I have no doubt that, like our athletes, our population will rise to the occasion and showcase Cameroon at its best. Our country will be ready for this grand celebration of friendship. I have made a commitment to that end,” he stressed.

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon – the national team – are the reigning AFCON champions having won their fifth trophy in February 2017 in Gabon.

The Confederation of African Football in December 2017 expressed misgivings about Cameroon’s preparedness to host the AFCON. CAF president Ahmad Ahmad said they will not hesitate to strip Cameroon of the rights if they fail to meet important deadlines.

“We leave the country to work with a private firm independent without influence or that whatsoever. It is up to them to provide us with the elements that will allow us after to say that Cameroon will be ready or that Cameroon will not be ready. But nothing will be negotiated,” Ahmad Ahmad said during a visit to Ivory Coast.

There was talk in August last year that Cameroon was “not ready”, generating an issue and a possible relocation of the tournament. Whereas Cameroon is able to host 16 teams as was the case with Gabon in 2017. The proposed expansion to 24 teams has been okayed by CAF at a symposium held in Morocco and it is due to be started with the 2019 tournament.

Source: Africa News

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, have set aside a new date to inspect Cameroon’s state of readiness regarding the 2019 African Cup of Nations. The football governing body has appointed an inspection team that will visit Cameroon for 12 days from January 11 to 23 to assess the country’s progress as it prepares to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. The delegation will inspect facilities such as stadiums and hotels in host cities towards the successful organisation of the 32nd edition of the biennial tournament scheduled for June and July 2019.

According to FECAFOOT’s Dieudenno Happi, he said the country is on the right track and will be ready to host the tournament. “The CAF has informed us that the inspection visit should take place on January 11-23,” he said in an interview with Actu Cameroun. “Based on the current level of progress, what we understand is that even if this visit was taking place this week, I think Cameroon would be ready. “Besides, it’s not a secret, I can deliver it to you too, I told Ahmad Ahmad at the CAN organizing meeting in Cairo. “I told him that Cameroon would be ready to receive the visit of this mission of the CAF in November 2017. “It’s good because I knew that the work was progressing normally, that logically, there should be no problem. And the decision to come rather in the first quarter of 2018 is a decision of the CAF and is welcome.“

Source: Leadership.Ng

The Southern Cameroons Defense Force has said that it will stage attacks during the African Cup of Nations in 2019. Tens of thousands of football fans are expected to attend the AFCON 2019 in Cameroon over the month-long games.

Cameroon government troops will tighten security in the wake of the warning of terror threats. Southern Cameroons largest constituency, the Manyu has been subjected to deadly military operations by the Francophone dominated army.

The Southern Cameroons militants have reportedly killed more than a hundred Cameroon government forces in retaliation for Biya regime’s helicopter strikes in what is now known as the Federal Republic of Ambazonia.

Last week the Southern Cameroons militants released a statement saying the security of the 84 year old Cameroonian dictator cannot be guaranteed “if he visits the Bamenda State in Southern Cameroons.” We understand the visit was cancelled. The Southern Cameroons Defense Force has called on its loyalists to attack every French Cameroun government security apparatus in the country.

Mean while, the African Football Confederation, CAF has announced its first inspection mission of Cameroon’s infrastructures for the 2019 AFCON from the 11^th to 23^rd of January 2018. Cameroon Intelligence Report has been reliably informed that the inspection will now be conducted by a German firm Roland Berger. Roland Berger was assigned the task in November 2017, by the CAF after a call for tenders. The competition will be held from June 7th to July 7th.

5 cities have been designated to host the competition. Group A & C, Yaoundé (Center region), Group B Douala (Littoral), Group D in Bafoussam (West region), Group E Limbé (South West) and Group F Garoua (North).

Six stadiums will accommodate the games which for the first time will bring together 24 African National teams namely Limbé stadium (20,000 capacity), completed in 2014, Bafoussam 20,000 delivered in 2016, the Yaoundé Ahmadou Ahidjo 40 000 seats) renovated, Roumdé Adjia Garoua (25 000 seats) still under renovation, Olembé sports complex – or so-called Paul Biya Stadium – in Yaoundé (60 000) is also still under construction just like that of Japoma in Douala, with seating capacity of 50 000. The Francophone dominated Cameroon government says both stadiums will be delivered by the end of 2018.

In a related development, the Interim Government of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia has also warned the African football governing body not to stage the tournament in Cameroon particularly in Southern Cameroons territory. In a document addressed to CAF and FIFA, the Ambazonian leader, Sisiku Ayuk Tabe noted that the Interim Government cannot guarantee the security of the players and various delegations.

Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Ahmad, has reiterated his warning to Cameroon about their hosting of the Africa Cup of Nations. Ahmad Ahmad In response to a question about Cameroon holding on to the hosting of the tournament in its new expanded 24-team format in 2019 Ahmad wasted few words.

“If the host country is unable to organise it, we will find a country that will organise it,” he said. “The authorities in the country, up to the head of state, have always confirmed to us that they will be ready.” Before CAF approved changes to the format and timing of the Nations Cup, Cameroon’s sports minister Ismael Bidoung had been forced to deny preparations were behind schedule.

Cameroon once again insisted it would be ready to host the tournament soon after Caf moved it to June/July and increased it from 16 to 24 teams. In August Ahmad said: “Cameroon will have to work to convince Caf on its ability to host the event.” He again clarified that it will be down to an independent company conducting inspections to let Caf know if Cameroon are fit to host the event. “We will leave it to the host country to work with an independent private firm without any influence from us whatsoever,” “It is up to them to provide us with the information that will enable us to say that Cameroon will be ready or Cameroon will not be ready. But we won’t negotiate anything.”

Audit firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers was due to conduct an inspection in August but they withdrew at short notice without giving reasons. An inspection is now due to happen early in 2018.

Source: Vanguard

People on social media are sharing photos appearing to show migrants returning home from Libya after being released from slavery. However, the top image dates back at least a year and shows migrants leaving Libya for Burkina Faso:

Football star Samuel Eto’o has denied claims that he personally donated money or purchased plane tickets for Cameroonian migrants so they could return home.

In a post on his Facebook page, he said “this rumour is completely baseless”. He urged his followers to act to prevent the terrible plight of migrants rather than react to it, adding that “among the victims will be people who we’ve lived alongside at some point”.

Source: BBC

The Zambia National Football team has regrouped in Ndola ahead of the 2018 RUSSIA world cup qualifier against Cameroon.

Football Association of Zambia- FAZ communications manager Desmond Katongo has confirmed the development to ZNBC news.

Katongo says Justine Shonga, Kennedy Mweene, Lewis Macha and Brian Mwila have already joined camp.

He also confirmed that Fashion Sakala, Enock Mwepu, Patson Daka and Stopila Sunzu are expected to join camp on Tuesday. The game will be played at Levy Mwanawasa stadium in Ndola.