Cameroon’s Sports Minister has said that the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead in the country despite concerns over the pace of preparations. Recent reports suggest that stadium construction is behind schedule while Cameroon also faces economic problems.

“Despite security concerns, social and economic crises, the government and President Paul Biya are totally engaged to do everything for the Nations Cup to go ahead,” said Ismael Bidoung. In the wake of concerns aired about Cameroon’s readiness, North African nations Algeria and Morocco have recently put themselves forward as back-up options for the finals.

Bidoung said that group games will take place in five cities, with Limbe having been added to the four venues mentioned in Cameroon’s original bid: Bafoussam, Douala, Garoua and the capital Yaounde. However, more venues are needed for the teams’ training – some of which were already used when Cameroon hosted the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations last year.

“Of the 32 stadia required for the 2019 Nations Cup, the 11 that served for the 2016 Women Africa Cup of Nations are ready and functional,” said Bidoung. “For the 21 other stadia, 14 are under rehabilitation and 7 are still to be constructed.” Cameroon are the reigning African champions, having beaten Egypt in February’s final in Gabon.

Source: Vanguard

The Africa Cup of Nations could be revamped – handing European clubs a boost in the process. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) have proposed moving the tournament to the summer, outside of the regular European leagues season, as well as expanding their biannual tournament to 24 teams.

The competition, which currently takes place during January and February, denied Everton of Idrissa Gueye last season, with the midfielder representing Senegal.

With new signing Henry Onyekuru recently capped by Nigeria, as well as Yannick Bolasie a full international for DR Congo, any rule change would help the Blues and many other English clubs in the 2018/19 season. The next tournament is set to run between January 12 and February 3 in 2019, taking place in Cameroon.

“From a sporting perspective, it will allow more opportunity for footballers across the continent,” said Nigerian Football Federation president Amaju Pinnock, who is also a CAF executive committee member.

“It will increase revenue for CAF and we can triple our income. It will also force more infrastructure development.” A decision could be made within the next 48 hours.

Source: Liverpoolecho

The format and timing of the Africa Cup of Nations is up for discussion as a two-day symposium on the future of the continental game has got under way in the Moroccan capital, Rabat.

“That is the first thing to talk about – we can’t get away from it,” said Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Ahmad in his opening address. The Nations Cup’s timing in January and February has long been a source of conflict for clubs in Europe, where many Africans play.

European clubs have long been angered by losing players during a crucial stage of the season to the Nations Cup, which sparks a club v country row every two years. Compounding the clubs’ concerns is the fact that their players often come back fatigued from Africa’s flagship sporting event.

Ahead of this year’s Nations Cup in Gabon, an unprecedented number of players turned down call-ups to stay with their clubs. This included seven Cameroonians who refused to turn out for the team that eventually won the title.

The finals could also be boosted from 16 teams to 24 – while a less likely switch is for the tournament to take place every four, rather than two, years.

Source: BBC

African football legends have started a two-day symposium on the future of the beautiful game in the continent. The forum was summoned by the newly elected president of the African Football Confederation, Malagasy Ahmad four months after his electoral victory against Issa Hayatou.

Malagasy Ahmad whose campaign slogan was “Together for Change” invited prominent African football heroes and leaders of the 55 football associations that constitute the CAF body. The meeting started today Tuesday the 18th of July 2017 in Rabat, Morocco.

The continent’s biggest names in football participating in the conclave are Samuel Eto’o Fils, Bell Joseph Antoine, Abedi Pelé, Jay-Jay Okocha, Anthony Baffoe, Kalusha Bwalya and Herve Renard who has won the African nations cup with two different nations.

The participants are working in eight workshops on topics related to the organization of African Nations Cup, inter-club competitions, youth football, media, marketing and communication. Rumors had circulated in Yaoundé that CAF intended to strip Cameroon off the right to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

But we now understand the reforms that will emerge from this symposium will be proposed to the next General Assembly of CAF for adoption. The Rabat come together is not a decision-making body and has no statutory existence.

By Eyong Johnson with files from Cameroon Info.Net

Eight people were killed during Senegal’s soccer league cup final in Dakar on Saturday, the sports minister told AFP, as a wall collapsed onto clashing supporters, triggering a panicked crush. Sports Minister Matar Ba said a young girl was among the dead, while around 60 injured fans had been taken to health facilities in Dakar.

He vowed “strong measures so that such an event will never be repeated in Senegal,” speaking to AFP by phone. A mass deployment of firefighters and ambulances remained at the scene late Saturday. An AFP journalist who attended the match described a stadium bursting with people for the long-awaited clash between local teams US Ouakam and Stade de Mbour.

At 2-1 during extra time, US Ouakam supporters began throwing stones at Stade de Mbour fans, causing spectators to begin vacating their seats in a rush, the journalist said. Part of a wall supporting bleachers seating fans from both sides then collapsed, while police had begun firing tear gas and panic spread in the stadium leading to a crush.

“All of a sudden when the wall fell… we knew exactly that some of our own had lost their lives because the wall fell directly onto people,” said Cheikh Maba Diop, a witness who helped evacuate victims from the stadium and lost a friend in the tragedy.

Also speaking at the scene, soccer fan Mara Die Diouf said policing at the stadium had been inadequate. Diouf described police retreating from an area separating the two teams’ supporters once projectiles began being thrown, triggering dangerous movements by spectators unable to defend themselves.

AFP journalists at the scene saw belongings covered in blood at the site, with a pair of glasses and clothing strewn among broken pieces of concrete. Campaigning for Senegal’s legislative elections due on July 30 would on Sunday be suspended in respect for the victims, said a spokesman for President Macky Sall.

Sall also wanted “punishments serving as a warning,” following the tragedy, spokesman El Hamidou Kasse said on TFM television. Senegal’s safety record at large gatherings has been heavily criticized this year after the death of dozens of people at a religious retreat in April, when a fire ripped through makeshift shelters.

(Source: AFP)

Former Super Eagles striker, Kanu Nwankwo, has urged Africans to become more aware of heart-related diseases, following the untimely death of Ivory Coast international, Cheick Tiote.

Tiote collapsed and died last month while training with his Chinese club, Beijing Enterprises. Kanu recalled how Cameroon’s Marc-Vivien Foe slumped and passed away, while playing at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.

The 40-year-old who established the Kanu Heart Foundation, also revealed his plans to build five specialist hospitals across five African nations including Nigeria. “I’m talking to friends so we can do something to create awareness to try to help children in Africa,” Kanu told BBCSport.

“Tiote’s death was not good news. It’s not the first time it is happening. “We lost Marc-Vivien Foe. He died and nothing was done. Tiote is gone and nothing is being done. “One man cannot do everything. What happened to Tiote is a lesson to us all. We can’t let it go on like this.

“We should talk more about it, information needs to get out there because the problem is huge. “Our dream is to build a hospital in Nigeria and four other countries in Africa. “The funds have been the issue but if we can make it happen it’s going to help a lot because right now we are taking the kids to India and it cost a lot.”

Source: Daily Post

The Indomitable Lions recorded a successful start in their campaign for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation to be hosted in Cameroon. The lads dominated a solid Moroccan side on Saturday at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé but scored just a goal.

The only goal of the game was scored by striker Vincent Aboubakar, in the 28th minute of play, wonderfully served after a destabilization of the Moroccan defense. Throughout the game, the Cameroonians showed a physical freshness already demonstrated at the last African cup of Nation 2017 in Gabon.

However, some bad news tarnished the victory. Defender Oyongo Bitolo was seriously injured and he left the match at the 17th minute. Cameroon Concord News sources say he will be unavailable for 7 months.

By Sonne Peter

Cameroon Concord News

The African Football Confederation yesterday held its Extraordinary General Assembly in Manama in Bahrain and again, another Francophone Cameroonian was humiliated in democratic process that was organized to elect a member to the Council of FIFA.

The Bahrain forum was the first high mass since that of 16 March 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which saw the election of Malagasy Ahmad to the presidency of the CAF replacing the Cameroonian Issa Hayatou.

The members of the African Football Confederation were again called to the polls during the Monday May 8, 2017 in Manama to elect a member to the Council of FIFA. Cameroon Concord News gathered that there were four candidates contesting for the job. But before voting, the Tanzanian Leodegar Tenga and the Mauritian Mohamed Samie Sobha pulled out of the race.

Cameroon’s Zelkifli Ngoufonja, formerly responsible for the FIFA Development Programs for Africa and Egyptian Hani Abo Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association were auditioned by the elective general assembly.  The Egyptian won 50 votes as against 4 for the Cameroonian candidate. The election of Hani Abo Rida has increased the number of Africans in the FIFA Council to seven.

As with the 16 March in Ethiopia, yesterday’s vote was held in the presence of Gianni Infantino and Fatma Samoura, respectively president and secretary general of FIFA, all suspected of having made every effort to obtain the departure of a ” Issa Hayatou at the head of the CAF after 29 years of reign.

By Sonne Peter

James Kwesi Appiah has been nominated for the second time as Head Coach of the Black Stars of Ghana. The decision was made on Tuesday by the Ghana Football Federation (GFA). Kwesi Appiah will lead the Black Stars for a period of two years and will take up his duties as of May 1, 2017.

On the lot of the hundred coaches who submitted their applications for the succession of former coach Avram Grant and after studies and interviews of the last three candidates Willy Sagnol, Hugo Broos and Kwesi Appiah, the final choice was Appiah.  The Ministry of Sports had earlier announced that due to certain economic difficulties and considerations, the position should be awarded to a local coach.

James Kwesi Appiah has already trained the Black Stars and history will remember that he was the first local coach to qualify the Black Stars for a World Cup final phase in 2014 in Brazil.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Projects planned in Garoua, the regional capital of the North, including the rehabilitation of the Roumdé Adja stadium and the construction of a 4-star hotel, in view of the next African Cup of Nations that Cameroon will host in 2019 have not started.

Unlike other cities, such as Douala (Littoral), Yaoundé (Center), Limbe (South-West) chosen to host the teams that will qualify for the next Can 2019, Garoua in the North is not yet at the award stage of public contracts. Cameroon Concord News has gathered that violent clashes erupted deep within the Biya administration with top political elites from the North Region  pointing an accusing finger at Paul Bell, Assistant Director of Sports Facilities and Equipment at the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education. Paul Bell is also a cousin to Bidoung Mpkatt, who is the current Minister in charge of Sports and Physical Education.

In the commission dedicated to the awarding of contracts for the construction of the infrastructures of the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 to be hosted in Cameroon, the voices of Minister Bidoung Mpkatt and his relatives in the ministry are preponderant. Our source in Yaoundé hinted that the presidency of the republic cannot award a contract without a favorable opinion of Bidoung Mpkatt and his gang. Aware of this situation, Paul Bell is calling the shots which have culminated to an unacceptable delay in the award and execution of contracts in the North.

With Issa Hayatou voted out, Cameroon is only 5 months away from the visit of the inspectors of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for a first evaluation mission. What miracle will the Francophone political elites perform for the North region to succeed in the feat of hosting a single pool of the competition? The Adamaoua, North and Far North regions therefore appears to be  on the wrong footing in comparison with other regions to accommodate the various delegations of the competition, whether in hotel infrastructures or stadiums. Paul Bell will not succumb to any pressure and simply wants his own share from the contractors of the Northern regions.

By Sama Ernest