8, November 2020
Africa Cup qualifiers to go ahead behind closed doors 0
All 48 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers between November 9 and 17 will be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic, a Confederation of African Football (CAF) statement said Friday.
While Africa has avoided a second wave of Covid-19 that much of Europe is experiencing, there have been more than 1.8 million official cases and 44,200 deaths in the continent, according to an AFP tally.
“Our goal is to ensure uniformity of safety and security operations across Africa, emphasising that matches take place in a safe and secure environment,” said CAF head of security and safety Christian Emeruwa.
“We are aware of the enormous task that lies ahead, in particular to succeed in keeping spectators and fans away from the stadiums.”
The matches will be the first in the crown jewel of African football since last November when the first two Cup of Nations matchdays were played.
Another two matchdays are scheduled during nine days from this Monday and the final two rounds will be played next March.
There are 12 groups of four teams and the winners and runners-up in all except one qualify for the 2022 tournament in Cameroon.
Five-time African champions Cameroon qualify automatically from Group F because they are the hosts, with the highest placed finishers between Cape Verde, Mozambique and Rwanda filling the other place.
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are taking part in qualifying to achieve competitive match practice rather than rely on friendly internationals.
Algeria are the holders of the Cup of Nations after defeating Senegal 1-0 in the final in Cairo last year through a goal from Baghdad Bounedjah.
The Algerians boast a perfect Group H qualifying record after two rounds having trounced Zambia 5-0 at home before winning 1-0 in Botswana.
Source: AFP
9, December 2020
Africa Cup of Nations: Gambia fined for letting Gabonese team sleep on airport floor 0
Gambia was fined $100,000 for the unsporting reception accorded to the visiting Gabonese national team in November.
Gabon were in the west African country for a 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifier.
In its ruling published on Tuesday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) chided the hosts for non-compliance “with the loyalty, Integrity and sportsmanship values and rules of Fair Play”.
“The Disciplinary Board decided to impose upon the Gambian federation a fine of 100.000 USD (One Hundred Thousand US Dollars) of which 50.000 USD (Fifty Thousand US Dollars) are suspended on the condition that the federation is not found guilty of a similar offense within a period of twenty-four (24) months”, read part of the ruling.
The Gabon delegation were told they were not allowed to leave the airport because of an administrative problem and were forced to sleep on the floor before being allowed to leave in the morning after government intervention.
The incident garnered global attention after Arsenal captain and Gabon international Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang tweeted about it.
Gabon lost the tie 2-1.
Gambia and Gabon are in drawn in Group D along with Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
CAF also fined the Gabonese football federation $10,000 for ‘offensive and degrading material that undermines the honor and image of the Confederation of African Football’ published by Aubameyang.
Source: Africa News