CAF expecting 'successful' AFCON

CAF President Patrice Motsepe

Monday Dec 27, 2021. 15:00

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is going ahead with preparations for a “successful” Africa Cup of Nations in the New Year after a “fruitful” meeting between CAF president Patrice Motsepe and Cameroon President Paul Biya.

There have been calls for the 33rd edition of the biennial tournament to be postponed once again over fears of an outbreak of COVID-19, with the Omicron variant affecting countries all over the globe.

The pandemic has already resulted in AFCON 2021 being pushed back by six months, but CAF revealed that Motsepe received assurances that stringent COVID measures will be implemented to ensure safety for all involved.

“Dr Patrice Motsepe held a very constructive and fruitful meeting with the President of the Republic of Cameroon, His Excellency Mr Paul Biya, in Yaoundé, Cameroon on Tuesday,” African football’s governing body said in a statement.

“Dr Motsepe emphasised the importance of the collaboration between the government of Cameroon, CAF and other stakeholders in implementing Covid-19 global best practices at all the stadiums, training pitches, hotels and all the areas where the players, match officials, spectators and visitors will be during the Africa Cup of Nations. This is particularly important in light of the Omicron variant.

“Good progress has been made over the past few months in Cameroon with the construction of stadium infrastructure, training pitches and other facilities for the hosting of the Nations Cup.

“CAF is proceeding together with its partners and other stakeholders in the preparations of a successful hosting of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cameroon 2021 starting on 09 January 2022.”