The Indomitable Lions recorded a successful start in their campaign for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nation to be hosted in Cameroon. The lads dominated a solid Moroccan side on Saturday at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé but scored just a goal.

The only goal of the game was scored by striker Vincent Aboubakar, in the 28th minute of play, wonderfully served after a destabilization of the Moroccan defense. Throughout the game, the Cameroonians showed a physical freshness already demonstrated at the last African cup of Nation 2017 in Gabon.

However, some bad news tarnished the victory. Defender Oyongo Bitolo was seriously injured and he left the match at the 17th minute. Cameroon Concord News sources say he will be unavailable for 7 months.

By Sonne Peter

Cameroon Concord News

The African Football Confederation yesterday held its Extraordinary General Assembly in Manama in Bahrain and again, another Francophone Cameroonian was humiliated in democratic process that was organized to elect a member to the Council of FIFA.

The Bahrain forum was the first high mass since that of 16 March 2017 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia which saw the election of Malagasy Ahmad to the presidency of the CAF replacing the Cameroonian Issa Hayatou.

The members of the African Football Confederation were again called to the polls during the Monday May 8, 2017 in Manama to elect a member to the Council of FIFA. Cameroon Concord News gathered that there were four candidates contesting for the job. But before voting, the Tanzanian Leodegar Tenga and the Mauritian Mohamed Samie Sobha pulled out of the race.

Cameroon’s Zelkifli Ngoufonja, formerly responsible for the FIFA Development Programs for Africa and Egyptian Hani Abo Rida, president of the Egyptian Football Association were auditioned by the elective general assembly.  The Egyptian won 50 votes as against 4 for the Cameroonian candidate. The election of Hani Abo Rida has increased the number of Africans in the FIFA Council to seven.

As with the 16 March in Ethiopia, yesterday’s vote was held in the presence of Gianni Infantino and Fatma Samoura, respectively president and secretary general of FIFA, all suspected of having made every effort to obtain the departure of a ” Issa Hayatou at the head of the CAF after 29 years of reign.

By Sonne Peter

James Kwesi Appiah has been nominated for the second time as Head Coach of the Black Stars of Ghana. The decision was made on Tuesday by the Ghana Football Federation (GFA). Kwesi Appiah will lead the Black Stars for a period of two years and will take up his duties as of May 1, 2017.

On the lot of the hundred coaches who submitted their applications for the succession of former coach Avram Grant and after studies and interviews of the last three candidates Willy Sagnol, Hugo Broos and Kwesi Appiah, the final choice was Appiah.  The Ministry of Sports had earlier announced that due to certain economic difficulties and considerations, the position should be awarded to a local coach.

James Kwesi Appiah has already trained the Black Stars and history will remember that he was the first local coach to qualify the Black Stars for a World Cup final phase in 2014 in Brazil.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Projects planned in Garoua, the regional capital of the North, including the rehabilitation of the Roumdé Adja stadium and the construction of a 4-star hotel, in view of the next African Cup of Nations that Cameroon will host in 2019 have not started.

Unlike other cities, such as Douala (Littoral), Yaoundé (Center), Limbe (South-West) chosen to host the teams that will qualify for the next Can 2019, Garoua in the North is not yet at the award stage of public contracts. Cameroon Concord News has gathered that violent clashes erupted deep within the Biya administration with top political elites from the North Region  pointing an accusing finger at Paul Bell, Assistant Director of Sports Facilities and Equipment at the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education. Paul Bell is also a cousin to Bidoung Mpkatt, who is the current Minister in charge of Sports and Physical Education.

In the commission dedicated to the awarding of contracts for the construction of the infrastructures of the Africa Cup of Nations 2019 to be hosted in Cameroon, the voices of Minister Bidoung Mpkatt and his relatives in the ministry are preponderant. Our source in Yaoundé hinted that the presidency of the republic cannot award a contract without a favorable opinion of Bidoung Mpkatt and his gang. Aware of this situation, Paul Bell is calling the shots which have culminated to an unacceptable delay in the award and execution of contracts in the North.

With Issa Hayatou voted out, Cameroon is only 5 months away from the visit of the inspectors of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for a first evaluation mission. What miracle will the Francophone political elites perform for the North region to succeed in the feat of hosting a single pool of the competition? The Adamaoua, North and Far North regions therefore appears to be  on the wrong footing in comparison with other regions to accommodate the various delegations of the competition, whether in hotel infrastructures or stadiums. Paul Bell will not succumb to any pressure and simply wants his own share from the contractors of the Northern regions.

By Sama Ernest

Madagascar’s football chief, Ahmad Ahmad, was elected president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Thursday, ousting veteran leader Issa Hayatou after 29 years in office. Ahmad won the election in the Ethiopian capital Addid Ababa by 34 votes to Hayatou’s 20, official results showed.

“When you try to do something, you mean that you can do it,” Ahmad told reporters after the vote. “If I can’t do it, I never stand.” Ahmad, a 57-year-old father of two, had a playing and coaching career before he took the reins of the Madagascar football federation in 2003.

His rare and determined bid for “change” at the head of the CAF this year took many by surprise and the incumbent was seen as the favourite. Al Jazeera’s Andy Richardson, reporting from Addis Ababa, said CAF members will now be hoping Ahmad delivers on the “change” he had promised.

“Ahmad has long been saying that African football is in real danger of being left behind unless there is real change at the top,” Richardson said. “In his campaigning, he really appealed to smaller nations within Africa. Madagascar, the tiny footballing nation he represents, has never qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations, never mind the World cup. “But that was one of his biggest strengths, some of the continent’s smaller nations had grown disenfranchised with the old guard and the confederation.”

Richardson said Ahmad’s appointment comes at a time when the relationship between Hayatou and Gianni Infantino, president of world football’s body, was “strained” at best. “FIFA is currently looking at redistributing funds in Africa and it may decide to how many extra African teams go into the 2026 World Cup, so these changes in leadership means a lot.” Hayatou headed CAF since 1988 and is a senior vice president of FIFA. He has been credited with increasing the number of African teams at the World Cup and bringing in extra finance for the continent’s competitions.

Al Jazeera

Cameroonian football legend Francois Omam Biyick, has been appointed Head Coach of the Central African Republic football team known as the Oubangui Foxes on a two year contract.

The 50-year-old former Indomitable Lions striker has replaced Blaise Kopogo at the head of the RCA national team, where he will be assisted by his compatriot Jean Baptiste Bissek.

The Cameroonian technician will lead the Oubangui boys who are currently 108th in the FIFA standings and has been given the onerous task of qualifying for the African Cup of Nations 2019 (AFCON), which shall be played in Cameroon.

By Sonne Peter

The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) has spoken out against the candidacy of Issa Hayatou, the current president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).  The President of the Nigerian FA, Amaju Pinnick revealed that the Federal Republic of Nigeria was against Issa Hayatou standing  for an eighth successive term.

Amaju Pinnick has also declared his support for Ahmad Ahmad, the president of the Madagascar Football Federation who is the only opponent of the outgoing President of the Confederation of African Football.

Pinnick said in an interview with the BBC that Ahmad is “courageous” for defying Hayatou. In his choice to support a candidacy other than that of the current chairman of the African football body, the chairman of the NFF opined that CAF needs a “new generation” of leadership.

By Chi Prudence Asong

In the league of the champions, UMS of Cameroon was eliminated from the African Champions League competition despite beating the Leopard of Congo 2-1. The Cameroonians scored their first goal in the 39th minute through Rostand Kako.

The Congolese responded in the 53^rd minute and returned to the mark, before conceding the second goal of Cameroon to the 59th. UMA had been beaten by 1-0 in the first leg.

In the CAF Cup, despite going down 0-1 in the first leg, Yong Sport of Bamenda qualified by beating  Defense Force of Ethiopia 2-0 yesterday in Douala.

By Sonne Peter

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has said incumbent president; Issa Hayatou has received the support of South African President, Jacob Zuma ahead of elections in the African football governing body. The President Jacob Zuma endorsement was made public on Saturday February 18, 2017, during an audience the South African leader granted the incumbent president of the Confederation of African Football at his residence in Pretoria.

The corrupt and inefficient South African ANC politician who keeps surviving numerous vote of no confidence assured Issa Hayatou of South Africa’s “flawless support” for his candidacy for a new term at the head of CAF. The audience included a cream of Zuma’s men noted for tarnishing the reputation of the ANC: Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula, South African Football Association president, Danny Jordaan, the President of the Mamelodi Sundowns football club and Patrice Motsepe.

The support comes a week after the Council of Southern African Football Associations (Cosafa) said it had endorsed Madagascar’s FA president, Ahmad Ahmad as candidate for the continental soccer body. The elections have been slated for March in Addis Ababa. Cameroon’s Issa Hayatou known as the African football dictator is seeking an eight mandate at the helm of the African soccer body which he has managed since 1998.

Cameroun Info.Net

Rumor has been circulating that the man who guided the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon to victory in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations has applied for the South Africa job. A source at the South African Football Federation recently confirmed to a sister publication Cameroun-info.Net that Hugo Broos through his agent has made himself available to train the Bafana Bafana.

The position of coach has been vacant in South Africa following the dismissal of Shakes Mashaba. Thus, less than two weeks after winning the AFCON with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, the Belgian technician intends to seek fortune elsewhere. Ever since his recruitment in February 2016 to replace the German Volker Finke, Hugo Broos is not regularly paid by the Cameroonian Football Federation.

By Chi Prudence Asong