Defending champions Cameroon played out to a barren draw with Ghana in a hotly contested West African clash of the titans in a Total Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Egypt 2019 Group F clash in Ismailia on Saturday.

Substitute Kwabena Owusu should have won all three for the Black Stars barely a minute after coming on for Andre Ayew but his cracking shot from the edge of the box came off the crossbar. Andrew Yiadom had a chance five yards from goal a minute later, but saw it saved by Andre Onana.

With the result, Cameroon have moved to four points while Ghana are on two points after back to back draws. The Ghanaians have to beat Guinea Bissau on Tuesday to be certain of a place at the next round.

On the balance of chances, Cameroon should have gone to the break at least one up. A massive save by Richard Ofori four minutes from time and a timely tackle from Jonathan Mensah earlier on ensured the scores were 0-0 after the opening 45 minutes.

Ofori made a brilliant full stretched-save to punch out a shot from Christian Bassogog from inside the box. Ghana were caught in possession with Baba Rahman losing the ball on the left. Karl Toko Ekambi picked up and cut back a cross for Bassogog which was well saved.

Ghana had dodged another bullet on the half hour mark when Mensah, coming in for the suspended John Boye, made a timely tackle to poke the ball off Ekambi’s feet after he was sent through with a delightful backheel flick by Zambo Anguissa.

Ghana were forced to an early sub after 14 minutes when Christian Atsu limped off injured with a hamstring problem after taking an aim at goal off a counter with a low shot from the edge of the area. He was replaced by Samuel Owusu.

Atsu had Ghana’s second chance just after Nuhu Kassim’s shot from a Thomas Partey cut back went over in the eighth minute. In the 28th minute, Mubarak Wakaso swung in a brilliant cross from the left, but Jordan Ayew could not get a vital touch from the edge of the six yard box as he came flying in.

Ghana pressed more in the second half as they looked to earn a first ever win over Cameroon in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Cameroon coach Clarence Seerdof made an attacking change, pulling out defender Gaetan Bong for striker Eric Choupo-Moting while his opposite number Kwesi Appiah responded by throwing in Asamoah Gyan for Kwadwo.

It was Ghana who would finish the game brighter, but nothing to show of in terms of goals.

Total Man of the Match: Andre Franck Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon)

Source: CAFonline

When Gaelle Asheri first started playing soccer in the dirt streets near her home in Cameroon’s capital, she was the only girl on the informal neighbourhood teams which used stones for goal posts and kept score by chalking results on a wall.

Asheri, 17, and her teammate Ida Pouadjeu, 16, are now among the first wave of girls being trained by professional coaches at the Rails Foot Academy (RFA) in Yaounde. It was set up in January to foster female soccer talent in a country where many still see the sport as a man’s game.

“I used to train with boys, so with boys there were some exercises I was not allowed to do because I am a girl,” Asheri said, describing how she was seen as more fragile than her male counterparts.

“But reaching here it was just another world, I was forced to do abdominal exercises, forced to do all harsh work so you reach a level where tears usually come out with sweat.”

The academy gets its name from the train tracks that hem the playing ground and turn into informal stands for the local spectators, who gather to watch the girls’ teams play all-male sides.

Global interest in women’s soccer is growing and FIFA hopes over a billion viewers will tune in to watch the Women’s World Cup in June. Cameroon’s national side, known as the Indomitable Lionesses, was one of three African teams to qualify.

Its star player, Gaelle Enganamouit, was the brains behind RFA – the West African country’s first female soccer academy. Her own experience as a young player in Yaounde showed her that it was important for women to have their own space to train, she told FIFA in January.

The academy currently trains around 70 girls, most of whom come from poor backgrounds and would otherwise not be able to afford even their own soccer boots, said coach Emmanuel Biolo.

“Here they have everything: coaches, jerseys, training equipment, a physiotherapist, and the guidance we give them all the time. Gaelle Enganamouit really wants these kids to be the next generation,” he said.

Asheri attends the academy on Saturday mornings and after school on Wednesdays, changing out of her uniform – a belted blue knee-length dress – into her team’s matching kit.

She is studying for her final baccalaureate exams, but the dream for her and Pouadjeu is to play soccer at a professional level like their benefactor.

“I’ve seen Gaelle (Enganamouit) play on TV. I’ve never missed one of her matches. She plays so well, I want to be like her,” Pouadjeu said.

Both girls initially faced opposition from family members who were worried that the sport was unfeminine. But neither have been deterred by such prejudice.

“I picked up the ball, I kicked it and I never looked back,” Asheri said, recalling the childhood street soccer games with her male cousins and neighbours. (Writing by Alessandra Prentice Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

Source: The Thomson Reuters Trust

Head coach of Cameroonian first division club PWD Bamenda, Augustine Choupou, was kidnapped on Friday in Northwest, one of the two war-torn English-speaking regions of Cameroon, club officials said.

“Augustine was abducted this morning (April 5) by unidentified gunmen. This happened during a training session at Big Mankon Catholic School Field,” the club president Pascal Abunde said in a statement released Friday evening.

“We strongly condemn this act which is detrimental to peace building and bonding. We call for his immediate release,” Abunde added and stressed that football remains apolitical and should not be used by “whosoever for personal gains”.

Choupou just assumed duty as head coach of the club five days ago.

The abduction of Choupou came barely weeks after Emmanuel Ndoumbe Bosso, head coach of another first division club, Young Sports Academy (YOSA) was kidnapped in the same city.

The clubs are based in the city of Bamenda, chief town of Northwest, where separatists have been fighting government forces for close to 3 years in a bid for independence.

Xinhuanet

Football (soccer) clubs in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon are relocating to safer areas after a coach and players from a university club were abducted by suspected separatists.

The military says it has arrested at least 10 suspected kidnappers. But players say the abductions show the government is unable to protect its citizens.

Bang Bullet Football club of Nkambe is a second-division team training in Nkwen, a neighborhood in Cameroon’s English-speaking northwestern town of Bamenda.

Team manager Ndi Eugene Ndi said the squad abandoned its base in Nkambe, 160 kilometers to the north, when some players were taken hostage by separatists and the team president was threatened for taking part in Cameroon’s soccer competitions.

“We started reading trauma in players and in coaches,” he said. “It is not easy. What we have in Nkambe as a fan base, what we have as community support and everything, we cannot have it in Bamenda but we will continue with the game. Football knows no politics so football should rather be used to get us all together.”

Even in Bamenda, a town they consider safe, the team has continued to receive threats, Ndi said.

The danger was made clear this week when Ndoumbe Bosso, head coach of the Young Sports Academy team, was abducted by separatists and released fewer than 24 hours after.

On Wednesday, 20 students of the University of Buea football team in the English-speaking South West region were kidnapped, severely tortured and released 24 hours after their kidnapping.

Football associations in the English-speaking regions say activity has fallen by 75 percent, with at least 60 teams not playing. Many fans fear to go to pitches.

In a statement circulated on social media, people claiming to be separatists warned teams from the North West and South West not to participate in championships organized by the central government in Yaounde.

They also asked teams from the eight French-speaking regions of Cameroon not to play any matches in the two English-speaking regions.

Deben Tchoffo, governor of the North West region, tried to assure the public that enough security is in place to protect all citizens and the players. He did, however, call on people to help the government by reporting suspected separatists.

Sports analyst and former player Jean Pierre Ekoto said the separatists know that Cameroon, sports, especially football, is a very popular game that unites so many people.

He said stopping it by kidnapping players may push many people, both English and French speakers, to revolt. And the international community will add pressure to the government to pay more attention to solving the crisis in the restive regions.

The separatists launched a campaign in 2016 to win independence for the English-speaking regions of Cameroon.

Source: VOA

The forward has endured a stop-start career to date, but could he finally be primed to realise his potential? When Clinton N’Jie put Cameroon 1-0 up in their 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014, barely 44 minutes into his Indomitable Lions career, there was a ripple of excitement about the forward’s potential.That enthusiasm swelled two days later in Yaounde, when he scored twice and contributed an assist in a 4-1 victory against the Ivory Coast. His relationship with Vincent Aboubakar won over fans at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, while simultaneously impressing with his technical quality. Cameroonians celebrated his brilliance, and were firmly expecting more at the Afcon finals in Equatorial Guinea. However, Cameroon would suffer a group exit, with N’Jie chronically underused in the tournament.

Despite the promise he showed in the build-up, he was only afforded 23 minutes—against the Elephants. Regardless of this missed opportunity, N’Jie’s pace and versatility attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur, who signed the wideman from Olympique Lyonnais in August of that year for a fee of €12 million (£8.3 million). However, again, it represented another false dawn, as he would make only eight league appearances—without finding the net—before being loaned to Olympique de Marseille, where he would subsequently move on a permanent deal. Injury problems were central to N’Jie’s failure at Spurs, as he missed the best part of six months with an MCL injury received during a tackle by Jeremy Toulalan in a Europa League game against AS Monaco.

Internationally, he was a Nations Cup winner with Cameroon in 2017, although he didn’t score during the tournament, and was subsequently omitted—for an Afcon qualifier against Morocco in June of that year, and for the Confederation Cup, due to disciplinary issues. “N’Jie is not here because of poor discipline,” Broos told journalists, as per BBC Sport. “He is a good player with many qualities as we saw during the preparation games before the Africa Cup of Nations against the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe. “10 days later during the first game against Burkina Faso, and also Guinea-Bissau, he was at only 50 percent,” the Belgian coach continued. “He must change his attitude and put in the work required if he is to turn the qualities he possesses into success at the top level.” There have been recent signs, however, that the Central African forward is primed to finally realise his early promise with the Lions.

Despite struggling at OM this term, where he’s scored twice in 12 outings, N’Jie was one of Cameroon’s most eye-catching performers in their 3-0 victory over the Comoros in Saturday’s final Afcon qualifier. He was only introduced in the 74th minute, but his lightning pace and intelligent footwork provided ample headaches for a tiring Comoros defence. Was he perhaps heeding Broos’s advice? In the 89th minute he found the net, darting off on a fine run down the right flank before rounding keeper Ali Ahamada before firing into an empty net, sending Cameroon to Egypt in style. It was also a goal that ended the forward’s one-and-a-half-year goal drought, with his last having come in a World Cup qualifier against Algeria in October 2017.

“Thanks for another victory and another goal,” N’Jie wrote on Instagram after the match. “Allez les Lions.” Perhaps this will be another false dawn for the forward, who’s endured his fair share since scoring three in his first two outings for the national side. Maybe, however, it could be a sign that the attacker is finally realising his undoubted potential with the national side.

Source: Goal.com

The Ajax stopper has told Goal that he’s benefiting from the veteran’s presence in the Indomitable Lions camp.Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana has told Goal that he’s benefiting from Carlos Kameni’s presence in the Indomitable Lions camp, despite criticism about the latter’s continued inclusion.

Onana was in goal as Cameroon beat Comoros 3-0 to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in Saturday’s final qualifier at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.

Coach Clarence Seedorf was criticised for including 35-year-old Kameni, who’s yet to play a game at Turkish giants Fenerbahce this season.

However, Onana, who has reportedly been attracting the interest of Barcelona in recent months, has defended his teammate, and revealed the specific advice the veteran gave him ahead of the showdown with the Comoros.

“I felt good being in goal for Cameroon [against the Comoros] as I received a lot of advice from Carlos Kameni,” Onana told Goal .

“It’s just luck that I was selected to start when Kameni is around, but he told me to be strong, and [to be] confident that I am good.

“He’s played more matches, and has experience in Europe too,” Onana added, “[but] I have the mental strength whenever we train together in the national team.

“It’s great being around him.“

Kameni spent eight years with Barca’s rivals Espanyol, where he won the Copa del Rey in 2006, before signing for Malaga in 2012.

Cameroon entered the campaign despite qualifying for the tournament as the original hosts, with the results of their matches counting for the other teams.

However, Caf’s decision to take the tournament away from the reigning champions and award it to Egypt means that Clarence Seedorf’s Lions still had to officially qualify to defend their title.

Onana appears to have won over Seedorf, and has started all of the Lions’ last three matches ahead of his cousin Fabrice Ondoa, who was between the sticks when Cameroon won the Afcon in 2017.

“It’s true that I play regularly with Ajax in Europe, which may likely influence the coach’s choice of the goalkeeper, but together [with Ondoa and Kameni] we make a great team.”

Kameni has 70 caps for the national side, and Seedorf told reporters last week that he had been included for his experience, which was an area that the coach had addressed as a point of weakness within the squad.

“Kameni brings in great leadership to the team and this is something we need in the squad at the moment,” Seedorf began, as per BBC Sport .

“His leadership qualities are more important to the team now than whether he is playing or not. We have two other good keepers,”

Onana is now poised to appear in his first Afcon after turning down a pre-selection request by former coach Hugo Broos ahead of the 2017 triumph in Gabon.

“It will be great moving to Egypt this year,” Onana concluded, “we want to retain our title.”

Cameroon are among the six top seeds for the Afcon group-stage draw, which will take place in Cairo on April 12.

Source: Goal.com

The coach of Cameroonian first division club Yong Sports Academy of Bamenda, Emmanuel Ndoumbe Bosso who was kidnapped on 19 March has been released.

A club official confirmed that coach Bosso was abducted while driving to the team’s base for training.

“Coach Bosso was freed last night and is now with his family” Yong Sports spokesperson Wanchia Cynthia confirmed to BBC Sport

“There wasn’t any ransom paid and we don’t know why he was kidnapped. “We believe pressure from the fans and the media played a huge role in our coach getting released”

Bosso, who won the 2013 Cameroon Cup with Yong Sports and worked with Union Douala and Sable de Batie, has so far declined to comment on his ordeal.

Yong Sports will resume training today however it is uncertain whether coach Bosso will take charge of the session.

The club are are tied on 12 points with UMS of Loum at the top of Pool B in Cameroon aib championship after the first phase of the league

The team found in the City of Bamenda, North West is one of two English speaking regions where secessionists have been fighting government forces for 3 years in a bid for independence.

Despite kidnappings on the increase, the abduction of Bosso on Tuesday is the first time a player or football official is kidnapped.

Source: BBC

The coach of Cameroonian top-flight club Yong Sports Academy of Bamenda, Emmanuel Ndoumbe Bosso, has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen

Bosso, who won the Cameroon Cup in 2013 with the team, was taken hostage as he headed to a training session at the club’s stadium.

“Coach Ndoumbe Bosso is loved here in Bamenda and we don’t think anyone will want to hurt him” club chairman Yong Jacques told BBC Sport.

“We’ve called off the two training sessions billed for today and the club is working closely with all interested parties to make sure that our coach is safe”

The club confirmed they have not been contacted with demands for a ransom as yet.

Yong Sports Academy are based in the city of Bamenda, which is in one of the two English speaking regions in Cameroon, where secessionists have been fighting government forces for almost three years in a bid for independence.

Despite kidnappings in the region increasing in recent months this is the first time a football official has been abducted.

Yong Sports Academy are tied on 12 points with UMS of Loum at the top of Pool B in Cameroon’s championship after the first phase of the league.

As an assistant coach he won the Cameroon Cup in 1997 with Union of Douala before wining leading Sable de Batie to the Cameroonian title two years later.

BBC