Claude Le Roy’s first two TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals tournaments saw his team finished on the podium but the achievement that the popular Frenchman is most famous for is a record nine appearances as a coach.

His is a record that might take decades to beat. “Records are meant to be broken! But for me it’s a privilege that I had all these opportunities and even more important for me is the fact I was never sacked, I always decided to leave. And that’s a big privilege,” recalls the 76-year-old, who still follows the African game with a keen eye.

“And everywhere I worked, people always asked me to come back. I’m proud of that.”

His first game in 1986 was a thrilling 3-2 win over Zambia in Alexandria where Cameroon led slip a two-goal lead but then won the match with a late penalty while a burst of three goals in the space of six minutes saw them beat Algeria 3-2 to finish top of the group. After Roger Milla’s goal accounted for Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-final, Cameroon met host Egypt in the decider, going down on penalties 5-4 after a goalless draw.

Two years later, however, the Indomitable Lions were crowned champions, overcoming hosts Morocco in a fiery semi-final and then edging Nigeria in the final in Casablanca with Emmanuel Kunde’s second half penalty settling the outcome.

Le Roy coached Senegal at the 1990 and 1992 finals, finishing fourth the first time in Algeria but then being disappointingly eliminated by his old Cameroon charges in the quarter-finals when Senegal hosted the 1992 finals.

Le Roy missed the next six Cup of Nations finals before taking the Democratic Republic of Congo to the 2006 tournament in Egypt, where they reached the last eight.

In 2008, he coached a host nation for the second time, this time Ghana but there was a disappointing semi-final exit to Cameroon again.

In 2013, Le Roy was back with the Leopards but three draws in their first round meant they finished third in the group. It was the first time in seven tournaments the coach had not taken a side beyond the first round.

Congo had missed six successive finals before Le Roy qualified them for the 2015 edition in Equatorial Guinea and saw them to the quarter-finals as they won their group.

Le Roy’s last tournament was in Gabon in 2017 with Togo and his record 38 games as a coach at the finals has seen 16 wins, 12 draws and 10 losses with a positive goal tally of 44 scored to 38 conceded.

Le Roy at the Cup of Nations finals

1986 (Cameroon)

Cameroon 3 Zambia 2

Cameroon 1 Morocco 1

Algeria 2 Cameroon 3

Cameroon 1 Cote d’Ivoire 0

Egypt 0 Cameroon 0

1988 (Cameroon)

Cameroon 1 Egypt 0

Cameroon 1 Nigeria 1

Cameroon 0 Kenya 0

Morocco 0 Cameroon 1

Cameroon 1 Nigeria 0

1990 (Senegal)

Kenya 0 Senegal 0

Cameroon 0 Senegal 2

Senegal 0 Zambia 0

Algeria 2 Senegal 1

Senegal 0 Zambia 1

1992 (Senegal)

Senegal 1 Nigeria 2

Senegal 3 Kenya 0

Senegal 0 Cameroon 1

2006 (DR Congo)

DR Congo 2 Togo 0

Angola 0 DR Congo 0

Cameroon 2  DR Congo 0

Egypt 4 DR Congo 1

2008 (Ghana)

Ghana 2 Guinea 1

Ghana 1 Namibia 0

Ghana 2 Morocco 0

Ghana 2 Nigeria 1

Ghana 0 Cameroon 1

Ghana 4 Cote d’Ivoire 2

2013 (DR Congo)

DR Congo 2 Ghana 2

DR Congo 0 Niger 0

Mali 1 DR Congo 1

2015 (Congo)

Equatorial Guinea 1 Congo 1

Congo 1 Gabon 0

Burkina Faso 1 Congo 2

Congo 2 DR Congo 4

2017 (Togo)

Cote d’Ivoire 0 Togo 0

Morocco 3 Togo 1

DR Congo 3 Togo 1

Source: CAF

The President of the Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”), Dr Patrice Motsepe, on Monday, 16 December 2024 conferred the CAF President’s Outstanding Achievement Award 2024 on Cameroon Head of State, President Paul Biya and Egypt Head of State President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The CAF President’s Outstanding Achievement Award is in recognition and appreciation of the support and partnerships that exist in many African countries between the Head of State, the National Government and the Football Leadership in each of the 54 nations that are Members Associations of CAF.

Previous Winners

2022: The CAF President’s Outstanding Achievement Award 2022 was conferred on President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and King Mohammed VI of Morocco in recognition of their track record and extensive and far-reaching contributions to football in their countries, and to making African football globally competitive and self-sustaining.

Source: CAF

Nigeria’s refusal to play an Africa Cup of Nations fixture in Libya after alleged “inhumane treatment” of their squad, overshadowed Algeria and Cameroon qualifying on Monday for the 2025 finals.

“This is getting scary,” said forward Victor Boniface on social media after the Nigerian squad were stranded at an airport 225 kilometres (140 miles) by road from Benghazi, the match venue.

“We have been stuck at the airport for almost 13 hours with no food, Wi-Fi or place to sleep. Africa, we can do better,” he added on X (formerly twitter).

Former African Footballer of the Year Victor Ikpeba, who accompanied Nigeria to north Africa, told AFP: “If CAF know their job, Libya ought to be banned from international football.”

Nigeria beat Libya 1-0 in Uyo last Friday in Group D and the teams were set to meet again in the fourth round in Benghazi on Tuesday.

Furious at the way they were allegedly treated, the Nigerian delegation returned home on Monday, a CAF official confirmed to AFP.

A Libyan Football Federation statement said: “We reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation.

“There are no grounds to accuse the… Libyan Football Federation of deliberately orchestrating the incident. Such actions are inconsistent with our values and principles.

“It is important to highlight that just last week our own national team faced significant challenges upon arrival in Nigeria.”

CAF reacted to the incident by saying in a statement that they had been in contact with Libyan and Nigerian authorities.

“The matter has been referred to the CAF disciplinary board for investigation and appropriate action will be taken against those who violated CAF statutes and regulations,” it said.

Free-kick sinks Kenya

Ahead of the Group D fixtures on Tuesday — Rwanda host Benin in the other — Nigeria and Benin were well placed to fill the top two places and qualify for the finals.

Three-time AFCON champions Nigeria have seven points, Benin six, Rwanda two and Libya one, halfway through the six-round qualifying competition.

In Group J, Cameroon substitute Boris Enow beat Kenya goalkeeper Bryne Omondi off a free-kick outside the area to give the five-time AFCON title-holders a 1-0 win and qualification.

Kenya, beaten 4-1 in Yaoundé last Friday, were forced to move the home fixture to Uganda as stadiums in Nairobi are being renovated for the 2025 African Nations Championship (CHAN).

Second-placed Zimbabwe beat Namibia 3-1 to move four points ahead of Kenya in the fight for the other qualifying place. The rivals meet next month in the penultimate round.

Borussia Dortmund defender Ramy Bensebaini converted an 18th-minute penalty to earn two-time AFCON champions Algeria a 1-0 Group E win over Togo in Lome.

Algeria have a maximum 12 points from four outings and second-placed Equatorial Guinea are likely to join them at the 2025 tournament, which Morocco will host.

Substitute Dorian Hanza scored in added time to give Equatorial Guinea a 2-1 win against Liberia in Paynesville, and a five-point advantage over Togo.

Captain Elias ‘Domingues’ Pelembe, who turns 41 in November, opened the scoring for Mozambique in a 3-0 Group I victory over Eswatini. It moved the Mambas (snakes) above Mali to first place.

However, Mali will qualify if they win in Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday. The fixture is one of 16 scheduled.

Source: AFP

Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, and his son had a memorable encounter with Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana during the player’s visit to Uganda ahead of Cameroon’s AFCON 2025 qualifier match against Kenya.

Tayebwa, an ardent Manchester United fan, expressed his excitement at seeing an African footballer succeed at one of the world’s biggest clubs.

“We are thrilled to see an African, particularly from our continent, playing at such a prestigious level with Manchester United. Onana has settled in well, and we continue to pray for his success,” Tayebwa said.

In a light-hearted moment, Tayebwa joked about researching whether Onana has any Ugandan roots, noting the shared heritage between Uganda’s Bakiga people and Cameroon.

He also revealed that Onana had invited him and his son to watch a live match at Old Trafford, Manchester United’s home ground, a gesture Tayebwa welcomed with enthusiasm.

Onana is in Uganda as part of the Cameroon national team’s preparations for their AFCON qualifier at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole.

Source: Nilepost

Former champion Nigeria and Cameroon put chaotic build-ups behind them on Saturday to make winning starts in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

Ademola Lookman, the lone African nominee for the 2024 Ballon d’Or men’s award, scored twice and reigning African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen once as Nigeria beat Benin 3-0 in Uyo.

Veteran Vincent Aboubakar, leading scorer at the 2022 AFCON with eight goals, netted in the second half to earn Cameroon a 1-0 victory over Namibia in Garoua.

In the other qualifier on the final day of matchday one action, Mauritania edged Botswana 1-0 in Group C thanks to a late Sidi Amar goal in Nouakchott.

After agreeing to coach Nigeria, German Bruno Labbadia did a last-minute u-turn when the national football federation declined to pay the tax on his undisclosed monthly salary.

Augustine Eguavoen was named caretaker coach of a team still smarting from a stunning mid-year 2026 World Cup qualifying loss to Benin, which lies 52 places lower on the world rankings.

The interim boss watched anxiously as the Super Eagles did not translate territorial supremacy into goals until first-half added time, when Lookman struck.

Osimhen, who join Galatasaray on loan this week after a hoped-for move to either Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain or Saudi side Al Ahly did not materialise, came off the bench to net on 78 minutes.

As huge gaps appeared in the defence of demoralised Benin, Lookman struck again with seven minutes of regular time remaining to take Nigeria top of Group D, two points above Rwanda.

Rows over the match venue and which players would represent Cameroon overshadowed preparations for the Group J fixture against Namibia.

Initially set for Douala, the fixture was moved to Yaounde by the sports ministry, then Garoua by the national football federation, which former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o heads.

Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Ngute intervened and ordered the game to be played in the northwestern city of Garoua, but the drama did not end there.

Four-time African Footballer of the Year Eto’o threatened to field the national under-20 team against Namibia instead of the senior side as a power struggle with the ministry continued.

The federation then had to wait until the morning of the match before receiving the passports of the senior players in order to create an official team sheet.

Victory lifted Cameroon to the top of the table, two points above Zimbabwe and Kenya, who drew 0-0 on Friday.

Source: Sportsstar