The fate of January’s Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon hangs in the balance due to concerns over the country’s readiness to host the tournament as Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe arrived in Yaounde on Monday for talks.

On Sunday, a CAF executive committee meeting resolved to go ahead with the 24-team event only if Motsepe was able to secure guarantees from Cameroon over its readiness.

Several members of the committee called for the tournament to be postponed, insiders told Reuters, but the majority voted for Motsepe to make an emergency trip to engage with the Cameroon government.

Concerns have been voiced over a lack of organisation, incomplete building work and the threat of coronavirus outbreaks among the large number of players and staff set to descend on the under-resourced country in the next few weeks.

“We are clear in terms of our commitment to make the AFCON a success in Cameroon, and I’m confident after our meetings today and tomorrow we can come out of here and give Africa and the world the confidence,” Motsepe told reporters in Yaounde on Monday.

Last week, CAF sent its general secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba to urge the speedy completion of building work at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, scheduled to host the opening game on Jan. 9 and the final on Feb. 6.

But Sunday’s executive committee meeting was told there was a major risk of the tournament failing, with construction work incomplete after contractors were not paid, insufficient accommodation and training facilities and several key organisational staff quitting.

Cameroon was originally awarded the hosting of the 2019 finals, but the tournament was switched to Egypt when CAF decided the central African country was not ready. Cameroon was then handed the 2021 tournament, which has since been delayed by 12 months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CAF said last week that it would be importing its own laboratory, bypassing local healthcare facilities, to test players during the tournament.

Clubs in Europe, where a significant number of the players in the tournament play regularly, are concerned over the healthcare arrangements as the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly.

Source: Reuters

The Cameroon government in collaboration with the country’s football association, Fecafoot, together with CAF, have reached an agreement to implement stringent Covid-19 protocols at the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.

Cameroon will stage the 24-nation event from January 9 to February 6, and the organisers have assured that the continental championship will go ahead amid the spike in fresh infections from the new Omicron variant.

CAF, the Cameroon government and Fecafoot are of the view that the competition can be used to raise awareness on the steps that can be taken to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

In light of this, the three parties have decided that:

. Supporters may only enter stadiums to attend the 52 Afcon matches in Cameroon if they are fully vaccinated and are able to show a negative PCR test result that is no older than 72 hours or a negative antigen test result no older than 24 hours;

. The competent health authorities will take all necessary action to facilitate vaccination and the performance of screening tests at all competition sites in Cameroon;

. Moreover, with a view to ensuring objectivity and neutrality as well as trust on all sides, CAF will use an independent, internationally recognised laboratory to test the national team players and their delegations.

This was announced by Cameroon Minister of Sport Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, Minister of Public Health Malachie Manaouda, CAF general secretary Véron Mosengo-Omba and Fecafoot first vice-president Céline Eko Mendomo on Thursday.

“In Cameroon, as has been the case elsewhere, effective measures have been taken as part of a coherent and tried-and-tested approach to counter the pandemic. The government has set up a special health protocol to combat Covid-19, which applies to the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations,” the parties said in a joint statement.

“As is widely known, organised football plays an important role in fostering integration and peace, as well as bringing people together. It is also a catalyst of hope, a vehicle for shared values.

“Therefore, despite the additional challenge posed by the pandemic to the global community, the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations will go ahead as scheduled on January 9 2022 at Olembe Stadium.”

Source: News 24

As the rise in COVID cases gets greater and greater, many games and competitions are in danger of getting postponed or even cancelled. From the NFL to the Premiership, games are being pushed back to later dates. Yet this could be the most important postponement. Africa’s most significant tournament, the Africa Cup Of Nations, could be postponed to a later date.

European clubs have threatened to take their players out from AFCON if the tournament goes on, which could create a type of tournament similar to the FIFA Arab Cup. There were not a lot of world-class players at the Arab Cup, leading to lessened exposure.

Additionally, Cameroon, the host nation, has been torn apart by civil war. The Anglophone Crisis has seen thousands dead. Some of Cameroon’s biggest stadiums are right in the middle of the warfare.

Yet CAF usually needs money from AFCON to stay afloat. Club competitions, other national team games, wages: most are dependent on the income AFCON makes. COVID and a civil war would ordinarily rule out a tournament for the time being, but CAF’s situation is entirely different.

The Expectation

Under immense pressure from UEFA, one might expect CAF to fold and reschedule the tournament for next summer. But CAF could just as easily disregard the warnings and continue with the tournament. This turn of events is especially unfortunate for Africa, but a decision needs to be made.

As numerous managers continue to start drafting preliminary rosters, the world watches in dread. Will the Anglophone crisis force AFCON to a halt. Will COVID cases leave national teams crippled? Only time will tell.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled

European clubs, especially ones in the Premier League, are worried about the rising COVID cases in Africa. Look out for news about clubs pushing for postponement.

This week, defence officials said extra troops have been deployed to protect soccer fans and players all over Cameroon and vowed the matches in Limbe and Buea would go on, CameroonIntelligenceReport wrote. Limbe and Buea are towns caught in the middle of the unrest. Allowing games to continue there is a little bit arrogant and unsafe. Should CAF take a stance on this?

CAF has stuck to their guns and said that the show will go on, but red lists and relocation rumours still swirl in the air. If CAF continues the tournament, will towns near the unrest still host matches? Is a temporary truce in order?

Source: World In Sports

Serious security concerns have been raised ahead of the upcoming AFCON tournament set to be hosted by Cameroon.

This comes from Simon Hughes at The Athletic, with the journalist noting that a handful of Premier League talents, including Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, could be put in danger due to escalating conflict in the region.

“Twenty-four teams will play matches in six venues across the country, one of which is in Bafoussam – close to the border of the Anglophone zone,” the reporter wrote. “Each of Senegal’s group games will be staged in the city and this will bring Liverpool’s Sadio Mane as well as Chelsea’s Edourd Mendy and Watford’s Ismailla Sarr (if fit) into close contract with an area of conflict.

The danger hardly ends there as far as the club’s African contingent are concerned, with there being some concern over the potential safety of Mo Salah.

“The border with Nigeria has been described to The Athletic as ‘porous’ and there are sharp security fears about the staging of Nigeria’s group games in Garoua, an hour and a half drive into Cameroon,” Hughes added.

“One of their opponents is Egypt, for whom Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is the captain.

“The Egyptians will not be staying in the region and instead will fly for each of their fixtures from Douala in South-West Cameroon.

“The news that Cameroon’s security services recently conducted anti-terror simulation exercises, including a mock attack on a stadium, was certainly not missed in Cairo.”

There’s an obvious benefit for a club like Liverpool when it comes to the potential postponement or cancellation of this year’s AFCON – selfishly, it would help our chances of domestic success having our top goalscorer and Mane available.

That being said, it’s far from being selfish to expect a high standard of player safety at a major international tournament, particularly in light of the additional COVID-19 concerns raised.

If there is deemed to be a genuine threat to that, we at the Empire of the Kop (with all due respect to the AFCON) can’t see how the competition in question can be allowed to go ahead.

Source: Empire of the Kop

The Southern Cameroons Interim Government has dismissed the Biya regime recent military drill at the Yaoundé Nsimalen International airport saying that football teams and fans coming into the divided Cameroon in January will face one of the capabilities the Ambazonia Revolutionary Guards have developed.

The Ambazonia Interim Government says no military drill can bring security and safety for French Cameroun and football teams including football fans. Yaoundé recently staged a security drill at the Yaoundé Nsimalen International airport in a bid to inform international public opinion that the Biya administration was more than ready to host the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Vice President of the Southern Cameroons Interim Government, Dabney Yerima said the Nsimalen drill represents a French Cameroun retreat and its weak points. Yerima noted that Ambazonia Revolutionary Guards will take the war of liberation deep inside French Cameroun during the Africa Cup of Nations as Amba fighters continue to improve their strategic capabilities.

Yerima also observed that the Nsimalen drill was a message to the Sawa people in French Cameroun that Biya and his gang only care about Centre and South regions.

For Southern Cameroonians living in Ground Zero, Vice President Dabney Yerima opined that the Nsimalen drill is a confirmation that they live in Africa’s largest open-air prison known in Yaoundé as South West and North West regions.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from Isong Asu

After three days on the job, I still believe it is still too early to judge or draw conclusions about Samuel Eto’o.

However, the noise on social media in the run-up to his election about how he could not handle the job made many to feel that once he got the job, he would start by conducting himself as a bull in a China shop by demolishing all what was already at the federation’s headquarters.

On the contrary, he is pointing his collaborators in the right direction by instilling discipline in a place where discipline had taken French leave of the federation.

No genuine endeavor can succeed if discipline is lacking. Eto’o knows this principle only too well. He did not succeed in making tons of money by making indiscipline his companion.

The old workers at FECAFOOT are still struggling as the wind of change continues to blow. Yesterday, they did not know that the  times were changing and they thought they could come to work at anytime. Late-coming, as we were taught in primary school, is a sign of indiscipline. Eto’o does not condone indiscipline.

He is already indicating that there is a new sheriff in town and he is not going to accept the old bad ways that have dumped the federation into a pretty mess.

He has come with the carrot and stick approach, which is the hallmark of good managers. Those who do their work accordingly get the kudos, those who are stuck with their bad habits will hear very bad news.

The Sheriff has already inspected facilities in Yaounde and where works are still underway, he is urging the contractors to use the best possible materials. He is not settling for anything sub-standard.

In his view, Cameroon and Cameroonians deserve better. You cannot be one of the best in the world only to give your country the worst. That is not Eto’o.

He has already begun chopping off the excess fat in the budget by cutting down on unnecessary cost.

Yesterday, all expensive dishes on the Federation’s menu were deleted. The country is going through hard times, with young men being the primary victims of the mismanagement that has become the country’s hallmark. Eto’o is not happy about that. Youths are at the center of his actions. He was to give them hope and trust. He was to inject unalloyed patriotism in them.

 Eto’o is hellbent on cutting cost within his administrative space. Puff-puff, beans and pap are on the menu and any federation worker who is hungry can feast on that.

He loves leading by example and he was on hand yesterday to eat his bowl of puff-puff and beans. Any FECAFOOT worker who does not love our beloved puff-puff and beans can buy whatever he wants to eat. The football  federation known as  FECAFOOT cannot become FECAFOOD. Good leaders manage the budget prudently.

Today, he is in the South region to inspect sports facilities and to meet with youths who are looking up to him. He has promised to deliver Cameroon’s football from its malaise of yesteryears and the plan is already underway.

A visit to the Minister of Sports on Monday resulted in an agreement for  the supervisory authority to support his determined efforts aimed at giving football in Cameroon a face-lift and a good name.

The world is watching and Eto’o knows he must not disappoint. Every move of his is being scrutinized, and rightly so, because he must deliver on his mandate. To whom more is given, more is expected.

However, Cameroonians must be patient. The cancer of corruption and internal fighting  had destroyed the very foundation on which the Federation was built.

It takes time to rebuild and if Cameroonians can rid themselves of their post-appointment trauma and legendary jealousy, they will be able to see a savior in Eto’o and he will do his best to restore  our faith in our football federation.

By Dr. Joachim Arrey

Joel Matip hasn’t played for Cameroon since 2015 but is rumoured to be making a triumphant return at the age of 30.

It has now been reported by the African Insider that our centre-back is ‘considering’ a return to international football, nearly seven years since his last appearance for the national side.

This news has come since the election of Samuel Eto’o as president of the Cameroon FA, a role that he will hold for the next four years and will see him act as a figurehead for January’s AFCON tournament.

Amongst his key policies are the attempts to raise funding within the sport and also to retain the services of dual-nationals and retired stars, such as our No.32.

Although nothing has been sorted as of yet, this could mean that the German-born defender could be selected for AFCON in the new year and add to the list of missing players for a busy period of the season.

Fingers crossed the decision he makes either way, won’t negatively affect us.

Source: Empire of the Kop

The continent’s biggest men’s football tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations, is meant to kick off in Cameroon on 9 January. But the venue for the opening and closing matches, the Paul Biya Stadium in Yaounde, is not ready. And the Oomicron variant of Covid-19 is spreading and causing travel chaos.

The tournament was meant to be held early this year, but was delayed due to the pandemic. Despite the obstacles, a 219-member delegation from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has started arriving in Cameroon. This is the body that oversees the nations cup.

Cameroon has invested a lot in the tournament after it was stripped of hosting rights in 2019, when it was deemed not ready. The confederation is also under new leadership, headed by South African businessman Patrice Motsepe.

The month-long competition will be held in the 40th year of President Paul Biya’s rule. His namesake 60 000-seater stadium is meant to be the centrepiece of the opening and closing ceremony. In November, confederation secretary general Véron Mosengo-Omba said those matches and ceremonies might have to be held at another stadium. Work is still underway across the entire complex, but anyone who reports on or otherwise documents it faces a fine of $17 000. A final decision will be made on the weekend of 18 and 19 December.

CAF has remained tight-lipped about the impact of Covid-19 amid increasing calls to move the competition, including from European football teams, to where some of the top African players work.

Cameroon has yet to record a case of the Omicron variant, however, and despite the challenges, the organisers seem to have bet the farm on either holding it next month – or never.

Source: Mail&Guardian

Cameroonian authorities have vowed a safe African Football Cup of Nations when they host the biennial tournament in January. Cameroon’s Anglophone separatists have threatened further attacks on two towns that have stadiums to be used for group matches.

Cameroon’s police, military and senior government officials have been holding meetings to ensure a successful African Football Cup of Nations, AFCON, which runs from January 9 to February 6.

On Thursday, Cameroon assembled its 10 regional governors in the capital to examine the country’s readiness to host 24 African soccer teams, officials and thousands of fans expected for the tournaments.

Paul Atanga Nji is Cameroon’s territorial administration minister and permanent secretary of its National Security Council. He says President Paul Biya ordered the meeting to make sure Cameroon gives Africa and the world the most successful AFCON the continent has ever seen.

Nji says Biya does not want the games to be disrupted by separatists and politicians, whom he accused of wanting to project a bad image of Cameroon to the outside world.

“We have told politicians that Cameroonians want a peaceful CAN [AFCON]. Politicians should be reasonable. All Cameroonians should be ambassadors behind our great leader, President Paul Biya, to make this AFCON a great event. Any attempt to disrupt public order will be dealt with squarely. I am very clear, the regional governors have taken up the challenge to promote peace, unity, tranquility, and living together during the AFCON.”

Nji specifically accused opposition leader Maurice Kamto, who still insists he won the 2018 presidential elections, of planning to disrupt the games.

But Kamto says he will be educating civilians on the need for Cameroon to revise its electoral code, which he says favors Biya, during the AFCON matches.

Meanwhile, separatist groups on social media platforms have issued warnings that AFCON matches should not be played in Limbe and Buea, two towns in the South-West region.

Langmi Nestor, spokesperson of the separatist Ambazonia National Self Defense Council says fighters have been instructed to disrupt the games if Biya does not withdraw its troops fighting separatists in the English-speaking western regions.

“Biya must either come to the negotiation table [with separatists] or we give sleepless nights. The freedom of the people of Ambazonia is far more important than any nonsense in the name of the African Nations Cup.”

Armed groups have been fighting to separate Cameroon’s two English-speaking western regions from the rest of Cameroon and its French-speaking majority for the past five years.

This week, defense officials said extra troops have been deployed to protect soccer fans and players all over Cameroon and vowed the matches in Limbe and Buea would go on.

The military says it has deployed troops to the border between French-speaking and English-speaking regions to stop rebels from advancing during AFCON. The military says it is calling on civilians to assist in maintaining peace during AFCON by reporting strangers and suspicious activity in towns and villages.

AFCON’S opening match is a contest between Burkina Faso and Cameroon, a five-time Africa Cup of Nations champion.

Source: VOA

Spanish police are investigating the disappearance of four members of the Cameroon women’s handball team, who apparently absconded from a hotel in Valencia, where they were competing in the World Championships.

The Cameroonian delegation reported the women as missing on Thursday, a police spokesperson said.

Police were not treating the disappearance as suspicious as the women left with all their belongings and there was no sign of a struggle.

“It seems the women left of their own accord,” the spokesperson said, adding that police had no theories as to where they might have gone. The championships began on Dec. 1.

Athletes have frequently used international sporting events to seek asylum or escape poor conditions in their home countries, including seven Cameroonians who disappeared during the 2012 London Olympics.

Source: Reuters