AFCON
Expanded Format, Facilities Raise Concerns Over Cameroon 2019
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
There is palpable fear in Cameroon that the hosting rights for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations may be forfeited.
Even before the expanded format which the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced last month after a symposium in Rabat, Morocco, there had been fears of an in-built mechanism to make Cameroon fail in the excellent delivery of the tournament.
A Cameroon newspaper, Cameroon Post, had enunciated analysts’ views and summed that the decision to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24 beginning with the 2019 edition is a step towards telling Cameroon that they cannot host the competition.
Another publication, Bamenda Online, reported that “Cameroon may crack with expanded format”. In another edition of the publication, it reported that Algeria had submitted a request to replace Cameroon as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, host, if CAF, decided to take away the hosting rights from Cameroon.
- Proposed Paul Biya Stadium, Yaounde
Citing an undisclosed source, Bemenda Online has it that a leader of Southern African regional football body, COSAFA, Phillip Chiyangwa, claimed that Cameroon’s hosting rights for AFCON tournaments were corruptly awarded under the regime of Issa Hayatou.
According to reports, the current CAF executive committee was said to be reviewing the manner in which the right to host the 2019, 2021 and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments were awarded to Cameroon and other West Africa nations by the previous CAF administration.
After those allegations faded out, the problem of doubts over Cameroon readiness to host the 2019 soccer jamboree erupted.
Cameroon Post quoted a sports journalist as saying that “Cameroon should sue CAF for changing the rules while the competition is ongoing. That is breach of the rules of the game. Anywhere, if the worst comes to the worse, the 2019 AFCON should be co-hosted.”
Perhaps it is along that line that Tombi A Roko Sidiki, the president of Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT), is thinking. Shortly after returning from the Rabat, Morocco symposium organized by CAF, he told the press in Cameroon: “to me, the 2019 AFCON is underway and the playoffs of the competition have started. We are in a world of law and we are not going to change the rules of the game along the way.”
A senior journalist in Cameroon that Sports Village Square spoke with was of the opinion that the country was determined to meet the new demands imposed by the expanded cup format “knowing well that we are victims of the anti-Hayatou atmosphere in CAF today.
“It’s a sort of trap to take the hosting rights for us…but if they change the rules to eight stadia, we will give 10. The government and people of Cameroon are ready for the challenge and we will go the extra mile to welcome the continent in 2019”, remarked the experienced former sports journalist.
But situation on ground may be more than just a determination to deliver an excellent tournament. Stadium construction and upgrading of facilities are reportedly behind schedule.
In fact, Cameroon Post reported that FECAFOOT had terminated partnership agreements with a US-based company, Prime Potomac, which was saddled with the construction of Bemenda Olympic Stadium, one of the venues of the 2019 competition that is barely 18 months away.
Major concerns have been about facilities in Yaoundé and Douala which are being stalled by low funding. Under the previous 18-team format, Cameroon proposed to host the tournament in five cities of Douala, Yaoundé, Bafoussam, Garoua and Limbe.
It will now need six stadiums to host the competition. Sports Village Square gathered from Bamenda online that only the town of Limbe looks completely ready for the event.
The newspaper however quoted the country’s sports and physical education minister, Ismeal Bidoung Mkpatt as reassuring that the government was putting everything together for Cameroon to host Africa come 2019.
The upgrading of facilities is going at a very slow pace. According to Cameroon Post, work is yet to start on the Garoua Roumd Adjia Ominisport Stadium where the 16,000 seats need to be increased to 20,000.
Other works to be done there include refurbishment of dressing rooms, lightings, and the annexing of the nearby Lamido Hayatou de Poupoumre Stadium.
According to the reports, the works have been handed over to Chinese and Portuguese companies.
Other proposed sites are Bafoussam Ominisport Stadium, Paul Biya Stadium in Yaounde and the Japoma Stadium in Douala.
According to Cameroon Post, facilities in Douala and Yaounde pose the greatest problems. Construction works are yet to begin. “The Turkish firm contracted for Paul Biya Stadium and its two annexes in Yaounde has opted to import pre-fabricated parts to speed up the project.” The report has it that work recently began at Japoma Stadium in Douala.
- Proposed Japoma Stadium, Douala
Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe would welcome an investigation into corruption at the organisation, saying they have nothing to hide following a meeting with Senegalese officials in Dakar on Wednesday.
Senegal’s government last month demanded an investigation into corruption after the country was stripped of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title by the CAF Appeal Board, and the trophy was awarded to the final opponents, Morocco.
It follows unruly scenes in the January 18 decider in Rabat that Senegal won 1-0, but during which they left the field for several minutes in protest at a late refereeing decision.
Motsepe met with officials from the Senegalese Football Federation and Senegal president Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Wednesday, where he urged unity following the fallout from the final. He will be in Morocco on Thursday for a similar set of meetings.
“I would welcome any investigation into corruption at CAF, be it by a government or any institution,” Motsepe told reporters. “In fact, I would encourage it. We will give them our full cooperation.
“I have been told there were problems in the past and we intervened. It is not just in football, but in business and politics too. We cannot give our children the perception that if you want to succeed in life, be corrupt. There has to be zero tolerance (for corruption).
“That’s the best gift we can give football in Africa. Not just talking about corruption, but intervene, put the necessary laws in place) and implement them.”
Motsepe would not be drawn on the matter between Senegal and Morocco, which is now before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“There is nothing I can tell you that I haven’t said already 10, 15, 20 times. You can ask me the same question 100 times, I’ll give you the same answer 100 times. I have an obligation to respect that the matter is now in front of the highest (sports) court in the world.”
Motsepe quashed any suggestion that Morocco had been treated favourably in the appeal process.
“Under no circumstances will any single country in Africa be treated more preferentially or more favourably than any other. That will never happen,” he said.
“We are confident we will come out of these challenges more united amongst the 54 nations in Africa.”
-Reuters
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By Kunle Solaja.
Patrice Motsepe has intensified his diplomatic shuttle across African football corridors with a crucial visit to Morocco scheduled for Thursday, as the fallout from the controversial AFCON 2025 Final continues to reverberate across the continent.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed that Motsepe will meet with Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), alongside other key stakeholders within Morocco’s football ecosystem.
Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF)
The high-level engagement in Rabat comes barely 24 hours after Motsepe’s crisis-management visit to Senegal, underlining CAF’s urgency in addressing the tensions and conflicting reports that have trailed the AFCON final.
Thursday’s meeting is expected to focus on fact-finding, reconciliation, and institutional alignment following the chaotic circumstances that marred the tournament’s climax. The Moroccan FA has been central to the unfolding controversy, with administrative and refereeing decisions from the final still under scrutiny.
CAF disclosed that the visit will conclude with a press conference in Rabat at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT), where Motsepe is expected to address the media and possibly provide updates on CAF’s ongoing review of the final.
While details of the agenda remain closely guarded, the visit signals a continuation of Motsepe’s hands-on approach to crisis resolution, engaging directly with national federations in a bid to preserve the integrity of African football competitions.
CAF and the FRMF have indicated that further details regarding the outcomes of the visit will be communicated in due course, as stakeholders across the continent await clarity on one of the most contentious finals in recent AFCON history.
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CAF President Patrice Motsepe is set to visit Senegal on Wednesday for high-level talks with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and the leadership of the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football, in what is widely seen as a crucial diplomatic move amid lingering controversy over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations Final.
The visit comes against the backdrop of the chaotic and disputed AFCON 2025 final in Rabat, a match marred by heavy rainfall, administrative confusion, and conflicting official reports from within CAF and its committees.
The uncertainty surrounding the outcome of that final has cast a shadow over African football governance, prompting urgent calls for clarity and institutional accountability.
Sources indicate that Motsepe’s meeting with President Faye will extend beyond routine courtesy, touching on broader issues of football governance, tournament integrity, and the role of national associations in safeguarding the credibility of continental competitions.
Senegal, a major stakeholder in African football and one of the continent’s most influential football nations, is expected to play a key role in shaping the narrative going forward.
Motsepe will also hold discussions with Abdoulaye Fall, focusing on collaboration between CAF and its member associations, as well as mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of the controversies that plagued the AFCON final.
While CAF has yet to officially outline the agenda, observers believe the visit signals an attempt by the continental body to consolidate support among key football nations and manage the fallout from the final’s unresolved issues.
The optics of engaging directly with political leadership further underline the seriousness of the situation.
CAF and the Senegalese Football Federation have both stated that more details regarding the visit will be released in due course, leaving stakeholders across the continent watching closely for signals on how African football’s governing body intends to restore confidence in its competitions.
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