The dad of the Reds centre-back met with the head of the sports ministry in Yaounde

Liverpool defender Joel Matip sent an autographed ball to Cameroon’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi through his father, Jean.

Matip recently recovered from a knee injury that has kept him out of action since October and was an unused substitute as Jurgen Klopp’s men stretched their lead in the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday.

The 28-year-old has not played for the Indomitable Lions since he snubbed an invite to the country’s victorious campaign at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations and his last international outing dates back to the 2014 Fifa World Cup.

In response to the gesture, Kombi congratulated Matip on his success with Liverpool last year when they won the Uefa Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa World Club Cup.

“I received yesterday in audience, Mr. Jean Matip, father of international footballers Joel and Marvin Matip, who handed me a symbolic gift sent by his son Joel Matip, a ball autographed and signed by the player,” Kombi wrote on Facebook.

“In return, I addressed him my congratulations for his remarkable performances in his club, Liverpool FC with whom he became the 2019 European Champion.

“Finally, I also recalled him the love and hope all Cameroonians put on his son Joel Matip as an Indomitable Lion.”

Matip’s father, Jean was a former Cameroonian footballer and his elder brother Marvin also played for the Central African nation and made three international appearances despite playing for Germany’s youth teams in his early career.

As a reward for his fine defensive contributions, the Liverpool defender was named in the Caf Team of the Year for 2019 and Cameroon will be hoping he rescinds his retirement decision before hosting the continent for the 2021 Afcon, and as they battle Ivory Coast, Mozambique and Malawi in Group D of Africa’s qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Source: Goal.com

At the end of his visit last week to Yaoundé, Ahmad Ahmad, the president of the African Football Confederation (CAF) reassured the authorities that the 2021 African Cup of Nations will indeed take place in Cameroon. Unlike the previous edition which was staged from June to July 2019 in Egypt, the tournament in Cameroon will be held in January.

However, the issue of hosting the games is not what is troubling senior officials of the Biya regime but rather the venue where the final of this competition will take place.

Information filtered to Cameroon Concord News that, Ahmad Ahmad was very mindful of the delay in construction work at the Olembe stadium in Yaoundé and indicated that the final will be moved to Douala where the stadium built by the Turkish Yenigun is already completed.

Biya reportedly told Ahmad Ahmad that the proximity of the economic capital to the Southern Cameroons region headquartered in Buea makes it completely impossible for him to be at the final. Apart from security reasons, Paul Biya informed Ahmad Ahmad that he will not be participating in the final in Douala, a city noted for being hostile towards his government and it is serving as the capital of the Cameroonian opposition.

By Rita Akana

The ex-player will join up with the Indomitable Lions in Douala as they continue preparations for the forthcoming African Nations Championship

The Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) have confirmed the return of former Cameroon international and Africa Cup of Nations winner Timothee Atouba as team manager for the home-based side.

The Central African nation are getting set to host the 2020 African Nations Championship starting in April, but haven’t had anyone occupy the role since the technical team of Clement Arroga was selected.

Arroga and the team are currently in Douala, where preparations are progressing for the competition to be held from April 4 to 25.

Atouba will get together with the squad in Douala as they intensify plans for the 16-nation tournament.

The towering defender had a fairly successful playing career with the national team, winning Afcon 2000 after the Indomitable Lions defeated Nigeria on penalties.

He was also a finalist in 2008, only for the side to fall short with a slender 1-0 loss at the hands of Egypt.

The left-back featured in the 2003 Confederations Cup in France, where Winfried Schafer’s troops made it to the final before losing to the host nation at the last hurdle.

Atouba played in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur for a year from 2004 to 2005, but his major success at club level came with Swiss side Basel.

He enjoyed a couple of feats with FCB with success in the Super League and Swiss Cup between 2002 and 2004.

Atouba played 44 times for Cameroon having represented the national team for nearly a decade from 1999 to 2008.

His last appearance for the Indomitable Lions was a World Cup Qualifier against Cape Verde which the Central Africans won 2-1.

Source: Goal.com

On January 13, Ahmad Ahmad, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), started a working visit in Cameroon, the country’s Minister of Sports Narcisse Mouelle Kombi indicated. 

“During his stay, the African football boss and his delegation will hold important consultations and meetings with the authorities of the COCAN [Local Organizing Committee of the African Nations Championship and of the AFCON] 20-21, at the end of which important decisions on the organization of the CHAN [African Nations Championship] Total Cameroon 2020 and the AFCON in Cameroon will be taken,” the official said.

In addition, the minister revealed that, the visuals of the CHAN Total Cameroon 2020 will be revealed by January 15, 2020, during an evening show attended by CAF officials.

Ahmad Ahmad’s last official visit to Cameroon was on October 2, 2018. He was received by the Head of State, Paul Biya, as the country was preparing to organize the AFCON2019. Following this visit, the organisation of the African football high mass was withdrawn from Cameroon due to delays in the construction of sports infrastructure.

But, as compensation, CAF offered Cameroon to host the competition in 2021. The CHAN should be played in the country of the Indomitable Lions this year.

Source: Business in Cameroon

Guinness has launched Guinness Night Football in Cameroon, with the aim of providing football lovers with the opportunity to enjoy a range of diverse, immersive experiences like never before.

Guinness Night Football will take the game beyond traditional soccer and bring out the colour and vibrancy of the players and fans in a series of enjoyable and unforgettable activities.

Look out for details of our Fanzone events and in-bar activities on the Guinness social media channels and on Goal.com so you can be a part of this incredible experience.


What is Guinness Night Football?

Guinness Night Football is a series of diverse soccer-related events which give players and fans up and down Cameroon the chance to get involved in an extraordinary experience.

Football lovers will have the opportunity to enjoy a range of different activities, all played out in the dark under colourful neon UV and lighting technology to make the experience even more vibrant, immersive and memorable.

Specifically, there’ll be a gaming zone with a PS4, pool tables and penalty shootouts, as well as music entertainment and cheerleaders, who will excite the crowd with half-time performances.

At the heart of Guinness Night Football is an epic Pan African football extravaganza which will include five-a-side football matches, football skills showcases and much more, including a chance to meet famous celebrity football fans.  


When is Guinness Night Football coming to Cameroon?

The Guinness Night Football finals event will be held on January 14 at the Canal Olympia Gare Routière venue in Bessengue, Douala. The event starts at 4pm.

The winning team will earn the right to participate in the Pan African Football Extravaganza event.


How can you get involved in Guinness Night Football?

When Guinness Night Football comes to town, there will be a whole range of football activities for you to be involved with.

Try your hand at special in-bar games with incredible prizes, and come and enjoy our larger football extravaganzas and skills challenges at Fanzone events… with everything delivered with an amazing Guinness twist.

Football lovers will also have the opportunity to be part of an epic Pan African football extravaganza including a five-a-side football match, football skills showcase, the chance to meet celebrities and much more.

Source: Goal.com

Former Cameroonian International footballer and Bundesliga professional, Mohamadou Idrissou is in custody pending deportation in Austria because he was unable to obtain a residence visa.

News of the arrest and detention of the onetime FIFA World Cup participant with the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon was confirmed on Saturday by the chairman of the Austrian fourth division club DSV Leoben, where the 39-year-old Cameroonian was hired in the summer.

Idrissou should have played for the amateur club and also had a job, said club boss Edi Lieber of dpa. Local media houses reported that Idrissou already had a job offer with the club and a work permit. However, he did not receive a residence visa following issues he had in the past in Germany, said Lieber, without giving any details.

“I’m sorry for him, he has been in Europe for so long,” said Lieber. “We had such a joy – he is someone who can take us further, and then it ends like this”.

 Idrissou played 139 Bundesliga games (27 goals) for Hanover, Duisburg, Freiburg and Mönchengladbach. He was also used in 164 games (68 goals) in the 2nd division. At the 2010 World Cup Idrissou played for Cameroon.

The Cameroon left-back joined the Ligue 1 outfit in January 2018 from Montreal Impact, and has made 39 appearances for La Paillade since joining

Cameroon international Ambroise Oyongo has had his contract at Ligue 1 side Montpellier extended, the French club has confirmed.

The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations winner signed for La Paillade in January 2018 on a four-and-a-half-year deal, but could make only three league appearances for the south coast club owing to injury and the form of Jerome Roussillon.

Oyongo went on to feature 26 times last season, as Montpellier ended in sixth on the Ligue 1 table, just outside the European places. The left-back, who’s played 13 of the club’s league fixtures this term, is happy to have signed an extension to his current deal.

Montpellier head coach, Michel Der Zakarian, was equally pleased with the defender’s choice as he wants the side to keep its best players.

“I am very happy that Ambroise is making a long-term commitment with the club, as we are trying to keep the team together,” Der Zakarian told the club’s website.

“We work today to keep our best players, and Ambroise is part of it, so we are very happy he agreed to spend a few more seasons with us.”

Montpellier currently are in sixth spot in the standings on 24 points, one behind Lille in fourth place.

Oyongo is likely to feature when they host Paris-saint Germain on Saturday as they seek their seventh win of the campaign.

Source: Goal.com

Cameroon’s ability to host the 2021 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) has once again been put to doubt as the company charged with the construction of the main stadium for the competition has abandoned the project.

The Cameroon government withdrew the contract for the construction of the Olembe Sports Complex in Yaoundé on grounds that Italian company Piccini was not delivering on time.

The complex that includes a 60,000 capacity stadium to host the opening game of the tournament was due to be completed in December last year but the government says Piccini unilaterally abandoned the project site.

Cameroon’s minister of Sports and Physical Education, Prof Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, said the construction of the complex, including the stadium named after the country’s long-serving president Paul Biya, had been rescinded from the Italian company and awarded to Canadian firm, MAGIL Construction.

In a statement on Friday which cancelled the contract of the Italian company, Mouelle Kombi said the work had been abandoned even after the government showed good faith by making available the sum of FCFA 2 billion (3.3 million US dollars)to get work started. The minister had earlier issued a two-week ultimatum for Piccini to complete the pitch.

In reaction, Piccini in a communiqué said it could seek legal action both at national and international levels for the government decision to be reversed.

The new contractor, MAGIL that was due to start work yesterday has promised to deliver the infrastructure by June 2020. Franck Mathiere, the firm’s Vice president for International Operations said in Yaounde on Tuesday that they will complete the works within record time.

“We will immediately work on the stadium, especially the pitch before the next inspection by the Confederation of African Football. A greater part of the work has already been done and we are going to use Canadian expertise to complete it,” Franck Mathiere said.

The Canadian company is also in charge of renovating the decades old Reunification Stadium in Douala.

Source: Daily Nation

The Cameroon striker heralded his return to the Dragons’ starting XI with two second-half goals on Thursday

Vincent Aboubakar scored a brace in his first start of the season to help Porto secure a 2-1 comeback win over Young Boys in their Europa League game.

Aboubakar last started a game for the Portuguese giants in September 2018 against Tondela, in a league fixture where he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament which eventually ruled him out of the entire 2018-19 season.

On Thursday, Porto found themselves behind in Bern as early as in the sixth minute but the 27-year-old’s partnership with Mali’s Moussa Marega saved them from defeat.

Marega provided the assists as Aboubakar found the back of the net in the 75th and 79th minutes.

The Cameroonian’s brilliance in front of goal sealed Porto’s second win in Group G as they moved to second spot with seven points after five games.

Aboubakar will be aiming to maintain his goalscoring form when the Dragons host Pacos Ferreira on Monday. Their final Europa League group game is against Feyenoord on December 12.

Source: Goal.com

The 37-year-old has returned to his former club in Turkey, where he will take up his first coaching job

Istanbul Basaksehir have confirmed the appointment of Cameroon legend Pierre Webo as one of their assistant coaches.

On Tuesday, the Istanbul outfit announced the return of Webo to the club, alongside Ekrem Dag, as assistants to manager Okan Buruk.

The former Cameroon forward played for the Owls from 2011 to 2013, and boasts of vast experience in Turkey having previously turned out for Fenerbahce, Osmanlispor, and Gaziantep FK before he hung up his boots earlier this year.

During his seven-year stint in Turkey, Webo won the Turkish Super Lig title, Turkish Cup and Turkish Super Cup at Fenerbahce.

The 37-year-old will be hoping to help Istanbul Basaksehir, who are placed third in the Super Lig standings, to end their wait for a top-flight crown after finishing as runners-up last campaign.

Source: Goal.com