AFCON
CAF gets backlash over the ‘Scandalous’ Comoros-Cameroon match
The Comoros team faced a series of unfortunate events, but showed a good spirit and performance against Cameroon.
The Comoros team has received support from fans and internet users after a hard day and a series of unfortunate events ahead of their round of 16 match against host Cameroon on Monday, January 24.
The Cameroonian football federation and the Africa Football Confederation (CAF) are both facing backlash for a series of events that the Comoros football team faced yesterday before their round of 16 clash against the host country.
A footage is going viral online of Comoros players stuck in traffic without the required security escort as they headed to the stadium.
The Comoros team also had to change their clothes inside the bus, and some of the players sent sarcastic messages to CAF, congratulating them for the “good organization” of the competition.
Due to some traffic, Comoros players had to prepare for their game on the bus.
Adding insult to injury for Comoros was that 12 of their players — including all their three goalkeepers — were controversially said to have COVID and excluded from the game squad for the match against Cameroon.
Ahead of the match, Comoros was given a little hope after Ali Ahamada, the team’s first choice goalkeeper, tested negative for COVID on the day of the game.
Ahamada traveled from Garoua to Yaounde on Monday so he could participate in the match. But CAF officials incomprehensibly went against their own regulations and decided to rule him out of the match squad.
When confronted with the contradictory ruling, CAF created a new regulation on the spot, claiming that the Comoros goalkeeper had to self-isolate for a few more days before he could be eligible to play again. But the fact many players in the same situation have played for their countries in the same tournament convinced critics that CAF is favoring Cameroon.
Despite playing with a man down — midfielder Jimmy Abdu was shown a red card at the 7th minute — and with no recognized goalkeeper — an outfield player deputized for the team’s absent keepers — the Comoros team played with their heart out and only lost narrowly 2-1 to Cameroon.
After the match, CAF and the president of the Cameronian Football Federation, Samuel Eto’o, faced backlash from many internet users who decried the “scandalous” organization and the organizers’ pro-Cameroon bias.
“One team ‘won’ the match…. the other team won the fans’ hearts…. Let us hope Gambia will have no ‘Covid’ cases… The existence of the helped Cameroon in this edition will be a bitter pill for Eto’o to swallow. Well done Comoros, a spirited fight,” one Twitter user wrote.
Some critics also slammed Eto’o for celebrating Cameroon’s win, with one commenting: “This is the most embarrassing s**t imagine celebrating against a team that plays with no goalkeepers this is just pure corruption.”
– Morocco World News
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has sacked its Serbian coach, Milutin Sredojević who is popularly known as Micho.
This is coming ahead of Libya’s back-to-back Africa Cup of Nations clashes with Nigeria next month.
Paradoxically, Sports Village Square gathered that the coach’s contract was only recently renewed for six months before the axe fell on the Serbian.
His sack was precipitated by the results obtained in their teo matches of the AFCON qualifiers.
Libya drew 1-1 with Rwanda at home and lost 2-1 away to Benin Republic despite beig a goal up at half time.
The Libyan side, Mediterranean Knights are due to play against the Nigeria Super Eagles in Uyo on 6 October while the return leg holds on 14 October at the 11 July Stadium in Tripoli.
According to information Sports Village Square gathered from Tripoli, the Mediterranean Knights’ coach, Micho led the Libyan national team to win nine matches since taking over in October of last year, he failed to build a strong team due to his poor choices.
He also took a risk with the footballers chosen in the AFCON qualifiers, and the result was shocking to the Libyan sports audience.
According to sources close to the Libyan Football Federation, there is a strong tendency to sign a national coach to lead the Libyan team during the remaining qualifiers for the African Cup of Nations.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe has lashed out at Ghana and some other African countries whose home grounds were recently banned from hosting CAF matches owing to inadequate facilities. He made the remarks in Nairobi, Kenya during a press conference,
After the MatchDay 2 of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, CAF ruled Ghana’s Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi as being inadequate to host international matches. Being the only approved ground in the country, Ghana will now look towards either Cote d’Ivoire or Togo for their remaining home matches of the Afcon qualifiers.
Other African countries without approved home grounds are: Djibouti, Chad, Niger, Eritrea, Gabon, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, São Tomé and Burundi.
Motsepe voiced his frustration over the recurring issue of nations being unable to host home games.
“Nothing frustrates me more than a national team or club side having to play home matches outside,” he stated.
He stressed the significance of playing in front of home fans, adding, “You can’t grow football if the national teams or club sides aren’t playing in front of their home fans.”
Motsepe reiterated CAF’s commitment to working with countries to ensure they have at least one suitable stadium to host international fixtures.
“Our conversations in every country are to make sure there is at least one stadium capable of hosting a CAF category C game,” he emphasized.
The on-going CAF AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Coaches Symposium in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire has brought together, the last three coaches that handled the Nigeria national football team.
Gernot Rohr, Jose Peseiro and Austin Eguavoen are part of the the elite coaches currently gathered in Abidjan.
Gernot Rohr whose tenure of 5 years and 55 matches is the longest ever by any coach in Nigeria, is currently handling Nigeria’s Africa Cupof Nations and World Cup qualifying rivals, Benin Republic. He was succeeded in the interim by Austin Eguavoen who is currently having another interim stint.
Peseiro left his position after the Africa Cup of Nations
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