The president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) arrived Monday in Cameroon, where the African Cup of Nations (January 9 – February 6) is to be held, speaking to the press about his desire to make the AFCON “a success”.
This arrival comes at a time when rumors of a cancellation or a new postponement of the flagship competition of soccer on the continent due to the Covid-19 pandemic are spreading.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe is scheduled to meet with Cameroonian President Paul Biya and visit the Olembé Stadium in Yaoundé, where the opening match of the competition is scheduled to take place, according to the Cameroon Football Federation on its Facebook page.
“We are very clear about our commitment to make [the AFCON] a success in Cameroon,” Patrice Motsepe told reporters.
Last week, the European Club Association (ECA) threatened not to release international players for the CAN, expressing concern about the health protocol of the event against the backdrop of a pandemic.
On Thursday, the government and CAF announced that fans will have to be fully vaccinated and test negative in order to attend matches in the competition.
But the ECA pointed out the risk of internationals being absent for longer than the planned period of availability, due to “quarantines and travel restrictions” linked to the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
The ECA’s letter to FIFA came amidst mounting rumors of a possible cancellation of the CAN, or a further postponement of the tournament, originally scheduled for 2021 but postponed by one year due to the pandemic.