Sports

11, April 2019

Manchester United own goal hands victory to Barcelona ⁰

Barcelona will take a 1-0 lead over Manchester United into next week’s second leg of their Champions League quarter-final after a 12th-minute Luke Shaw own goal gave them victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Sergio Busquets found Lionel Messi with a clever ball into the area and the Argentine carved out space on the left to deliver a lofted cross to Luis Suarez at the back post.

The Uruguayan’s header deflected off the shoulder of a scrambling Shaw and beat David De Gea to give the visitors the lead and although the linesman initially flagged for offside, the goal was given after a VAR video review.

United’s best chance of the first half fell to Diogo Dalot but the Portuguese made a mess of a fine Marcus Rashford cross, heading harmlessly across the goal from close-range.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team had struggled to get a foothold in the game during the opening 45 minutes but they were much improved after the break, applying plenty of pressure without creating any clear chances.

Barcelona could have added a second had Suarez not fired into the side-netting from a promising position after a clever through ball from Nelson Semedo.

Barcelona have not lost at home in the Champions League since 2013.

Ronaldo’s 125th Champions League goal

In the other big Champions League match from Wednesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo produced yet another quality goal to add to his collection and help Juventus to a 1-1 draw at Ajax Amsterdam in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday.

Juventus took the lead on the stroke of halftime as Portuguese forward Ronaldo began an attacking move inside his own half before sprinting down field and diving to head in a clever chip from Joao Cancelo.

Ajax equalised 30 seconds into the second half after Cancelo lost control of the ball to allow David Neres to run down the left wing, cut inside and curl the ball past Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

The result leaves the Serie A side in a strong position to advance to the semi-finals in next week’s return leg in Turin. However, they will be mindful of Ajax’s 4-1 away win over Real Madrid in the last round that eliminated the holders 5-3 on aggregate.

Hakim Ziyech had several efforts at goal in a lively start for the youthful Dutch team, who have come through the pre-group phase qualifying round to reach the last eight.

Donny van de Beek scraped the outside of the upright with a 25th minute effort from close range after opening up space for himself in the penalty area in Ajax’s best chance of the first half.

But Juventus, with the 34-year-old Ronaldo central to their attacks, worked their way into the contest and came close themselves when the forward set up Federico Bernardeschi to turn and shoot in the 37th minute. But he was just off target.

Ronaldo, who scored a hat-trick in the previous round against Atletico Madrid, then scored a 125th Champions League goal with the last move of the first half before Ajax opened the second period with the same intensity.

After equalising, Ajax then dominated possession but were guilty of over-elaborate passing and were also fortunate not to have given away a penalty when defender Nicolas Tagliafico was tugging on the jersey of Juventus captain Mario Mandzukic.

Spanish referee Carlos del Cerro Grande paused briefly in the 53rd minute to presumably hear from the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) but resumed play before TV replays showed that Juventus had been denied a decent claim.

However, influential left back Tagliafico will miss the second leg next Tuesday after being booked late in the first half.

Juve hit the upright in the closing stages through substitute Douglas Costa although Ajax could have had the last say as Dusan Tadic missed a good chance in stoppage time.

More than 100 Juventus supporters were detained by Dutch police before the match while home fans were also arrested as a water cannon was used outside the ground.

(REUTERS)

10, April 2019

Yaounde receives FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy on tour for France 2019 ⁰

Cameroon on Tuesday received the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy, which arrived in the capital Yaounde in the company of FIFA officials, as part of its global tour en route to France. The trophy came after concluding a tour in South Africa and is expected to head to neighbouring Nigeria. It is the second time the trophy is stopping in Cameroon after 2015 during the first ever participation of Indomitable Lionesses at FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Sara Booth Mbe, FIFA’s Head of Women’s Football Competitions led the delegation that presented the trophy to Cameroon’s Prime Minister and Head of government, Joseph Dion Ngute. “We hope today by bringing the trophy to Cameroon, lots of people will fall in love with the competition and the Cameroon team, the Lionesses (Cameroon women’s national football team) and will support them from home during the competition,” Mbe told reporters.

Cameroon’s striker Gaelle Deborah Enganamouit said, the arrival of the trophy served as an inspiration for Cameroon to win the World Cup for the first time. “It is a great pleasure to have the FIFA trophy here. It is also good for the development of football in Cameroon. We pray to work hard to have this cup here in Cameroon,” she said.

Cameroon will intensify training at home and abroad before the championship. “They (Indomitable Lionesses) went to China for a very important international tournament with high level of participation. We had good results though China defeated us with one goal in the finals. But it was good preparation for our girls. They will camp in Cameroon to ameliorate performance and the last camp will be in Spain just before the competition,” President of Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), Seidou Mbombo Njoya said. The tour of the women’s trophy which started in February is at its 15th stop in Cameroon and will be back in Paris before the kickoff of the women’s world cup in June in France.

Source: Xinhuanet

8, April 2019

China conquer Cameroon to win in Wuhan ⁰

China PR emerged as competition winners for the second time in 2019, defeating Cameroon 1-0 to claim the Wuhan International Tournament on Sunday.

The win, sealed by a lone Wang Shanshan goal shortly before half-time, follows January’s successful Four Nations Tournament campaign in Meizhou as Jia Xiuquan’s side continue their build up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 in June.

Following on from an emphatic 4-1 win over Russia on Thursday, China PR began with a strong line-up featuring the likes of Wang Shuang, Wu Haiyan and Wang Shanshan, but it was Cameroon who had the first chance, with Henirette Akaba forcing a save within the opening minute.

Chasing a sixth successive win on home soil, the Steel Roses gradually grew into the contest, and they scored what proved to be a decisive goal in the 40th minute.

It was far from the prettiest addition to the scoresheet in Jia’s 11-month spell as boss, but Wang Shanshan forced the ball home when Cameroon Ngo Ndom spilled a looping Gu Yasha cross from the vicinity of the left-hand corner flag.

Replaced in the 62nd minute, Wang Shanshan’s goal meant the striker scored three times in just 89 minutes of game time in the tournament, taking her tally to 10 in her side’s last 10 matches.

Despite the heavy involvement of Wang Shuang and Li Ying, China PR failed to extend the lead after the break, but two wins from two, including one against FIFA Women’s World Cup-bound Cameroon, was a welcome return following a disappointing Algarve Cup campaign a month prior.

China PR’s next confirmed test will be a compelling one, as they head to Paris to face the France 2019 hosts in a friendly on May 31, before the serious business of the FIFA Women’s World Cup group stage begins against Germany on June 8.

Source: the-afc.com

6, April 2019

Another soccer club coach kidnapped in Southern Cameroons ⁰

Head coach of Cameroonian first division club PWD Bamenda, Augustine Choupou, was kidnapped on Friday in Northwest, one of the two war-torn English-speaking regions of Cameroon, club officials said.

“Augustine was abducted this morning (April 5) by unidentified gunmen. This happened during a training session at Big Mankon Catholic School Field,” the club president Pascal Abunde said in a statement released Friday evening.

“We strongly condemn this act which is detrimental to peace building and bonding. We call for his immediate release,” Abunde added and stressed that football remains apolitical and should not be used by “whosoever for personal gains”.

Choupou just assumed duty as head coach of the club five days ago.

The abduction of Choupou came barely weeks after Emmanuel Ndoumbe Bosso, head coach of another first division club, Young Sports Academy (YOSA) was kidnapped in the same city.

The clubs are based in the city of Bamenda, chief town of Northwest, where separatists have been fighting government forces for close to 3 years in a bid for independence.

Xinhuanet

2, April 2019

Caf president Ahmad rubbishes Comoros case against Cameroon ⁰

Comoros have approached the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) seeking Cameroon’s expulsion from the 2019 Afcon tournament

Caf president Ahmad Ahmad says the case filed by Comoros at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) asking for Cameroon to be kicked out of the 2019 Afcon finals has no merit.

Cameroon was stripped of the 2019 Afcon hosting rights due to ill-preparedness and Egypt has replaced them.

Cameroon will host the 2021 edition.

However, Comoros are seeking the Indomitable Lions’ expulsion from the Afcon tournament citing Article 92 of Caf regulations.

According to Article 92: “If a country having been entrusted with the organisation of the final tournament of the Africa Cup of Nations is desisting or the tournament is being withdrawn from it, it shall be subject, in addition to further disciplinary sanctions, to a fine fixed according to the following scale:

“92.3. Withdrawal notified within one year before the date of the final tournament: a fine of five hundred thousand (500,000) U.S. dollars and a suspension of the next edition of Afcon of it’s A national team, without considering the concerned edition.”

But Ahmad has hit back saying Comoros’ case does not hold water.

“They are fourth in their group. Even if they believe that Cameroon does not deserve to be at the Afcon, Cameroon has just shown on the pitch that they deserve qualification. Everything must first be played on the pitch,” Ahmad was quoted as saying by Radio France International.

“As for the victory on paper, it really takes some irregularities for this to be taken into account. Our rules are clear. Clause 92 talks about withdrawal. And legally this is not the case. So section 92 does not apply. It was Caf who decided to postpone the Afcon of Cameroon, and make this shift (now in 2021, edition).

“It is postponement, not cancellation of the Afcon in Cameroon. Cameroon is not affected by this article that the Comoros want to use.”

It is not yet clear when Cas will make their ruling.

Cameroon qualified from Group B where Comoros finished at the basement with five points after they were beaten 3-0 by the Indomitable Lions in the last qualifying game.

Source: Goal.com

30, March 2019

Southern Cameroons Football Teams Move After Kidnapping of Players, Coaches ⁰

Football (soccer) clubs in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon are relocating to safer areas after a coach and players from a university club were abducted by suspected separatists.

The military says it has arrested at least 10 suspected kidnappers. But players say the abductions show the government is unable to protect its citizens.

Bang Bullet Football club of Nkambe is a second-division team training in Nkwen, a neighborhood in Cameroon’s English-speaking northwestern town of Bamenda.

Team manager Ndi Eugene Ndi said the squad abandoned its base in Nkambe, 160 kilometers to the north, when some players were taken hostage by separatists and the team president was threatened for taking part in Cameroon’s soccer competitions.

“We started reading trauma in players and in coaches,” he said. “It is not easy. What we have in Nkambe as a fan base, what we have as community support and everything, we cannot have it in Bamenda but we will continue with the game. Football knows no politics so football should rather be used to get us all together.”

Even in Bamenda, a town they consider safe, the team has continued to receive threats, Ndi said.

The danger was made clear this week when Ndoumbe Bosso, head coach of the Young Sports Academy team, was abducted by separatists and released fewer than 24 hours after.

On Wednesday, 20 students of the University of Buea football team in the English-speaking South West region were kidnapped, severely tortured and released 24 hours after their kidnapping.

Football associations in the English-speaking regions say activity has fallen by 75 percent, with at least 60 teams not playing. Many fans fear to go to pitches.

In a statement circulated on social media, people claiming to be separatists warned teams from the North West and South West not to participate in championships organized by the central government in Yaounde.

They also asked teams from the eight French-speaking regions of Cameroon not to play any matches in the two English-speaking regions.

Deben Tchoffo, governor of the North West region, tried to assure the public that enough security is in place to protect all citizens and the players. He did, however, call on people to help the government by reporting suspected separatists.

Sports analyst and former player Jean Pierre Ekoto said the separatists know that Cameroon, sports, especially football, is a very popular game that unites so many people.

He said stopping it by kidnapping players may push many people, both English and French speakers, to revolt. And the international community will add pressure to the government to pay more attention to solving the crisis in the restive regions.

The separatists launched a campaign in 2016 to win independence for the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

By Miriam Metchane Ewang

30, March 2019

Indomitable Lion’s Clinton N’Jie: Time to shine? ⁰

The forward has endured a stop-start career to date, but could he finally be primed to realise his potential? When Clinton N’Jie put Cameroon 1-0 up in their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014, barely 44 minutes into his Indomitable Lions career, there was a ripple of excitement about the forward’s potential.That enthusiasm swelled two days later in Yaounde, when he scored twice and contributed an assist in a 4-1 victory against the Ivory Coast. His relationship with Vincent Aboubakar won over fans at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, while simultaneously impressing with his technical quality. Cameroonians celebrated his brilliance, and were firmly expecting more at the Afcon finals in Equatorial Guinea. However, Cameroon would suffer a group exit, with N’Jie chronically underused in the tournament.

Despite the promise he showed in the build-up, he was only afforded 23 minutes—against the Elephants. Regardless of this missed opportunity, N’Jie’s pace and versatility attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur, who signed the wideman from Olympique Lyonnais in August of that year for a fee of €12 million (£8.3 million). However, again, it represented another false dawn, as he would make only eight league appearances—without finding the net—before being loaned to Olympique de Marseille, where he would subsequently move on a permanent deal. Injury problems were central to N’Jie’s failure at Spurs, as he missed the best part of six months with an MCL injury received during a tackle by Jeremy Toulalan in a Europa League game against AS Monaco.

Clinton N'Jie Mauricio Pochettino Tottenham Premier League

Internationally, he was a Nations Cup winner with Cameroon in 2017, although he didn’t score during the tournament, and was subsequently omitted—for an Afcon qualifier against Morocco in June of that year, and for the Confederation Cup, due to disciplinary issues. “N’Jie is not here because of poor discipline,” Broos told journalists, as per BBC Sport. “He is a good player with many qualities as we saw during the preparation games before the Africa Cup of Nations against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe. “10 days later during the first game against Burkina Faso, and also Guinea-Bissau, he was at only 50 percent,” the Belgian coach continued. “He must change his attitude and put in the work required if he is to turn the qualities he possesses into success at the top level.” There have been recent signs, however, that the Central African forward is primed to finally realise his early promise with the Lions.

Despite struggling at OM this term, where he’s scored twice in 12 outings, N’Jie was one of Cameroon’s most eye-catching performers in their 3-0 victory over the Comoros in Saturday’s final Afcon qualifier. He was only introduced in the 74th minute, but his lightning pace and intelligent footwork provided ample headaches for a tiring Comoros defence. Was he perhaps heeding Broos’s advice? In the 89th minute he found the net, darting off on a fine run down the right flank before rounding keeper Ali Ahamada before firing into an empty net, sending Cameroon to Egypt in style. It was also a goal that ended the forward’s one-and-a-half-year goal drought, with his last having come in a World Cup qualifier against Algeria in October 2017.

“Thanks for another victory and another goal,” N’Jie wrote on Instagram after the match. “Allez les Lions.” Perhaps this will be another false dawn for the forward, who’s endured his fair share since scoring three in his first two outings for the national side. Maybe, however, it could be a sign that the attacker is finally realising his undoubted potential with the national side.

Source: Goal.com

27, March 2019

Barcelona target Andre Onana hails Carlos Kameni experience in Cameroon camp ⁰

The Ajax stopper has told Goal that he’s benefiting from the veteran’s presence in the Indomitable Lions camp.Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana has told Goal that he’s benefiting from Carlos Kameni’s presence in the Indomitable Lions camp, despite criticism about the latter’s continued inclusion.

Onana was in goal as Cameroon beat Comoros 3-0 to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Saturday’s final qualifier at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

Coach Clarence Seedorf was criticised for including 35-year-old Kameni, who’s yet to play a game at Turkish giants Fenerbahce this season.

However, Onana, who has reportedly been attracting the interest of Barcelona in recent months, has defended his teammate, and revealed the specific advice the veteran gave him ahead of the showdown with the Comoros.

“I felt good being in goal for Cameroon [against the Comoros] as I received a lot of advice from Carlos Kameni,” Onana told Goal .

“It’s just luck that I was selected to start when Kameni is around, but he told me to be strong, and [to be] confident that I am good.

“He’s played more matches, and has experience in Europe too,” Onana added, “[but] I have the mental strength whenever we train together in the national team.

“It’s great being around him.“

Kameni spent eight years with Barca’s rivals Espanyol, where he won the Copa del Rey in 2006, before signing for Malaga in 2012.

Cameroon entered the campaign despite qualifying for the tournament as the original hosts, with the results of their matches counting for the other teams.

However, Caf’s decision to take the tournament away from the reigning champions and award it to Egypt means that Clarence Seedorf’s Lions still had to officially qualify to defend their title.

Onana appears to have won over Seedorf, and has started all of the Lions’ last three matches ahead of his cousin Fabrice Ondoa, who was between the sticks when Cameroon won the Afcon in 2017.

“It’s true that I play regularly with Ajax in Europe, which may likely influence the coach’s choice of the goalkeeper, but together [with Ondoa and Kameni] we make a great team.”

Kameni has 70 caps for the national side, and Seedorf told reporters last week that he had been included for his experience, which was an area that the coach had addressed as a point of weakness within the squad.

“Kameni brings in great leadership to the team and this is something we need in the squad at the moment,” Seedorf began, as per BBC Sport .

“His leadership qualities are more important to the team now than whether he is playing or not. We have two other good keepers,”

Onana is now poised to appear in his first Afcon after turning down a pre-selection request by former coach Hugo Broos ahead of the 2017 triumph in Gabon.

“It will be great moving to Egypt this year,” Onana concluded, “we want to retain our title.”

Cameroon are among the six top seeds for the Afcon group-stage draw, which will take place in Cairo on April 12.

Source: Goal.com

24, March 2019

Choupo-Moting, Bassogog, Njie send Cameroon to 2019 Africa Cup of Nations ⁰

Despite being stripped of the tournament’s hosting rights, the Indomitable Lions booked their place in Egypt with a crucial win in Yaounde

Eric Choupo-Moting, Christian Bassogog and Clinton Njie found the back of the net as Cameroon thrashed Comoros in their final qualifying match for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Saturday’s victory secured the Indomitable Lions’ place in Egypt as they will be looking to retain the continental title they won in Gabon two years ago.

Choupo-Moting sent fans at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo into ecstasy after breaking the deadlock with his effort in 36th minute.

The PSG star who clocked 30 on Saturday finished off a collective team effort with a tap-in before goals from Bassogog and Nije in the 53rd and 89th minutes sent Clarence Seedorf’s charges to the Afcon finals scheduled for June.

Cameroon ended their qualifying campaign as the second best team in Group B behind Morocco with 11 points from six games.

Goal.Com

23, March 2019

Yaounde: Comoros Island eye win, Cameroon need tie to qualify for AFCON ⁰

The Comoros national soccer team arrived here Thursday evening ahead of the final round of qualification for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Comoros will clash with Cameroon on Saturday at Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

Officials of the football federation of the Comoros said the team is coming with the ambition to win the game and qualify for their first Africa Cup of Nations.

Comoros, sitting third behind Cameroon and Morocco in Group B, require a win to advance.

Cameroon, standing second, need just a tie to survive.

On Tuesday, Clarence Seedorf, head coach of the Cameroon national football team Indomitable Lions, said his team is in top form to “make it through”.

Source: Xinhuanet