December 15, (THEWILL) – CAFThere are less than four weeks until the start of Africa’s single-largest sporting event, the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroon 2021 and CAF General Secretary Veron Mosengo-Omba has praised the progress made while urging everyone to work round the clock to ensure that everything is ready for the opening game on January 9 next year.
Presently in Cameroon, Mosengo-Omba is part of the CAF team that is already on the ground assisting the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Cameroon government with preparations to see to the success of the tournament.
The General Secretary met with Cameroon’s Minister of Sport, Professor Narcise Mouelle Kombi, and Minister of Public Health, Manaouda Malachie on Tuesday.
The meeting between CAF and the Health Ministry ironed out a number of details in relation to the competition, following a directive from CAF President, Dr Patrice Motsepe, who initiated discussions with the Cameroon government on the sanitary approach and COVID-19 protocols at the TotalEnergies AFCON.
In January, CAF and the Cameroon government agreed on a strategy for the competition. The specifics of these negotiations, as well as the outcome, will be announced later this week.
Mosengo-Omba also spent some time at Olembe Stadium, where he met the stadium’s staff.
Speaking about the need for these meetings, he said: “The meetings were important in getting a level of understanding on the state of readiness in Cameroon.
“There is a lot of work that is being done. We have to continue with the same momentum. We cannot rest. We have to work around the clock. I’m not resting, the LOC cannot rest. CAF cannot rest. Everyone must join the efforts.
“We want to see a great TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations here in Cameroon in January next year. Together with the Minister of Sport, we discussed all the pending issues and the way forward.”
CAF also opened an office in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for the first time in the history of AFCON preparations, working directly with the LOC to provide the best possible support to the hosts.
The General Secretary harped on this: “We have put the best support system for this competition. For the last few months, our office in Cairo and also the office in Yaoundé has been working closely with the Cameroon government and the LOC in ensuring that we create the best possible conditions for the visitors.
“We are working on a number of aspects now including ensuring the movement of the 24 participating teams, the commercial partners and other stakeholders coming to Cameroon.”
While the CAF General Secretary acknowledged that several aspects still require adjustment ahead of the competition’s opening week, he remained upbeat.
The AFCON has attracted a lot of attention from news organisations throughout the world. CAF has so far received 2110 media applications from 59 nations, reiterating the tournament’s global appeal.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
