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Tag: CAF

  • CAF orders probe and venue change after 8 die in AFCON crush

    CAF orders probe and venue change after 8 die in AFCON crush

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Tuesday called for an instant probe into a crush at an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) match on Monday in Cameroon.

    At least eight people died after a stampede occurred at the stadium where hosts Cameroon were to host surprise qualifier Comoros.

    CAF president Patrice Motsepe told reporters on Tuesday that an instant investigation is needed and a first report is to be submitted by Friday.

    He also said that a quarter-final on Sunday would be moved from Stade d’Olembe, where the crush happened, to another venue in the capital of Yaounde, the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium.

    “There is no excuse for what has happened. We must show responsibility when people lose their lives and are injured,” Motsepe said.

    “We will have very tough and very hard discussions behind closed doors and I’m confident because of the discussions I had this morning.”

    Reports said that apart from the deaths 38 people were injured when a large number of people tried to gain entry into the stadium.

    They said that 50,000 people wanted to attend the game, with only 48,000 allowed in owing to coronavirus regulations.

    Witnesses said the crash occurred when stewards closed a gate to the arena where Cameroon won 2-1 against Comores.

    “I went to see where the people lost their lives and you see it’s a gate. That gate was supposed to be open.

    “Because if it was open, they would have walked through and it was closed for inexplicable reasons,” Motsepe said.

    He said that many were close to the stadium without tickets and that thousands more than anticipated were at the stadium.

    “What happened yesterday in terms of the proximity of people being allowed to the stadium in a manner that is not properly coordinated and governed will never happen again,” the CAF official said.

    He added that silence of one minute would be observed before all remaining matches.

    Cameroon’s national team said in a statement they “extend their heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims.

    The statement by captain Aboubakar Vincent on behalf of the squad and staff also appealed to the local fans to be “highly disciplined and responsible within and outside the stadiums.”

    World governing body FIFA said it “sends its deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives following the tragic incident.

    “The thoughts and prayers of the global football community are with the victims and the ones who have been injured in this incident and all the staff of both CAF and the Cameroonian Football Association (FECAFOOT) at this difficult moment,” FIFA said.

  • CAF announces date for AFCON 2023 prelims, World Cup 2022 qualifiers

    CAF announces date for AFCON 2023 prelims, World Cup 2022 qualifiers

    Jan. 17, 2022 (NAN) The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed the dates and the times for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Cote d’Ivoire 2023 and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, African Qualifiers.

    A statement on the CAF official website on Monday said it.

    “CAF today confirmed the dates and the times for the upcoming TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 and FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, African Qualifiers.

    “The TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Preliminary Round draw will be conducted on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022, at 16h00 (15h00 GMT, 17h00 CAT) in Douala.

    “The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, African Qualifiers Third Round draw will be conducted on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, at 16h00 at the same venue, in Douala. (15h00 GMT, 17h00 CAT)

    “Both draws will be live on CAF platforms,” the statement said.

    It said that the AFCON Cote d’Ivoire 2023 Preliminary Round would involve the 12 least ranked teams, adding that the teams would be divided into two levels with the six highest ranked teams playing against the six least ranked teams.

    It noted the 1st leg will be played at home of the lower-ranked teams with the six aggregate winners joining the 42 highest ranked teams into the Group Stage of the qualifiers.

    The 12 teams are divided into two levels as follows:

    Level 1: Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Gambia, South Sudan, Mauritius

    Level 2: Chad, Sao Tome & Principe, Djibouti, Somalia, Seychelles, Eritrea

    It also said the draw for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, African Qualifiers, would see the 10 qualified teams divided into two levels based on the official FIFA ranking, published in November 2021.

    “The five highest-ranked teams will play against the five least ranked teams (the first leg will be played at home of the lower-ranked teams).

    “According to the ranking published on Nov. 19, 2021, after the last round, the distribution of the teams on the two pots shall be as follows:

    “Level 1: Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Nigeria

    “Level 2: Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali and DR Congo.”

  • Aubameyang diagnosed with minor heart problem

    Aubameyang diagnosed with minor heart problem

    Arsenal striker, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, was ruled out of Gabon’s clash with Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations, after being diagnosed with a minor heart problem.

    Aubameyang missed their first Group C fixture against Comoros on Monday after testing positive for COVID-19.

    But the Gabonese federation announced that their captain along with Axel Meye and Nice’s Mario Lemina will also be sidelined for Friday’s game at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium.

    All three were diagnosed with COVID-19 recently and latest medical examinations showed they are dealing with minor heart problems as a result of the illness.

    The Gabonese Federation tweeted: “According to the CAF medical commission, the players Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Axel Meye and Mario Lemina, just out of Covid, cannot take part in this match.

    “The examinations would show cardiac lesions. CAF did not want to take any risks.”

  • CAF dismisses Tunisia’s protest

    CAF dismisses Tunisia’s protest

    The Organising Committee of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) has dismissed the Tunisian football federation’s protest on the officiating of their team’s match with their Malian counterparts.

    The committee met late Thursday to deliberate on the Group F match played on Wednesday which had ended 1-0 in favour of the Malians.

    “After examining the protest of Tunisia and all the match officials’ reports, the Committee decided to dismiss the protest lodged by the Tunisian team.

    ”It also decided that the match result will stand as 1-0 in favour of Mali,” CAF said in a short statement late Thursday.

    Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe had stirred controversy during the match with some inexplicable decisions.

    He had twice ended the match before the stipulated time, leading to comical scenes after the game.

  • AFCON 2021 to be broadcast in 157 countries

    AFCON 2021 to be broadcast in 157 countries

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) says a record number of global broadcasters will beam the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from Cameroon to millions of fans in 157 countries.

    CAF’s Communications Department, in a statement on Sunday, said Africa’s star footballers’ popularity and talent ensured unprecedented interest from some of the leading broadcasters in Africa and across the globe.

    It listed some of the top broadcasters who will show the tournament across sub-Saharan Africa to include Canal+, SuperSport and StarTimes.

    CAF added that beIN Sport will broadcast the tournament across North Africa and the Middle East.

    ”It will also show it on its channels in the Asia-Pacific region and North America, including the United States, and as far afield as Cambodia and Laos.”

    The continental football governing body further said ESPN would broadcast AFCON 2021 in its Latin American territories in South and Central America and the Caribbean.

    ”This will include Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, British Virgin Islands, Nicaragua, Guyana, and Bolivia,” it said.

    CAF also stated that in the UK, the BBC and BSkyB would broadcast the tournament.

    ”This will be to an audience that will be eager to see how the stars from the English Premier League fare in Cameroon.

    It added that in Brazil leading broadcaster Bandeirantes would show the tournament.

    CAF disclosed also that in Europe, France would be covered by beIN Sports, Italy by Discovery and Germany by SportDigital.

    “Nordic fans will be able to watch on NENT’s sport channels, while Eastern Europe will tune into SportKlub,” it stated.

    The confederation also expressed its belief that all of Africa’s football fans are sure to be tuning in for the tournament.

    ”The public broadcasters from the participating countries are set to beam their nations’ games live from Cameroon.”

    It however assured that the territories not covered by its broadcast partners have been taken into consideration.

    ”CAF will stream all matches live with English commentary on its YouTube channel, CAF TV, and cafonline.com.”

    The football governing body noted that its President, Patrice Motsepe, had consistently spoken about a need to ensure that African football is accessible not only in the African continent but globally.

    “The AFCON is our flagship event, not only as CAF but as Africa. It is an event that is unrivalled in appeal and prestige. We are not surprised by the huge demand from major networks globally.

    “It’s a clear indication of the increasing popularity of African football around the world and shows clearly how AFCON has increased in stature and appeal to become one of the world’s biggest sporting events.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2021 AFCON which begins on Sunday will end on Feb. 6.

  • CAF increases AFCON prize money

    CAF increases AFCON prize money

    Champions of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will return home with a prize money of five million U.S. dollars (about N2.8 billion).

    The winners’ prize money was increased from 4.5 million dollars, representing an increase of about 11 percent.

    The decision was taken on Friday in Douala, Cameroon during the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

    The prize money increase is beginning with the 2021 AFCON which gets underway on Sunday in Yaounde.

    The competition’s runners-up will get 2.75 million dollars in prize money, up from 2.5 million dollars and an increase of 10 percent.

    The prize monies for the semi-finalists and the quarter-finalists were also increased, with the total sum of the increase on all prize monies being 1.85 million dollars.

    CAF, in a statement, said the increase was in line with its commitment to rewarding merit performance and enhancing the status of the competition, which is now in its 33rd edition.

    The new AFCON prize money structure is as follows:

    • Winners: 5 million dollars (an increase of 500,000 dollars)
    • Runners-up: 2.75 million dollars (an increase of 250,000 dollars)
    • Semi-Finalists: 2.2 million dollars (an increase of 200,000 dollars)
    • Quarter-Finalists: 1.175 million dollars (an increase of 175,000 dollars)

    VAR to be used in all 52 AFCON matches in Cameroon

    Meanwhile, all 52 matches of the 2021 AFCON which begins on Sunday in Cameroon will have the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

    The competition gets underway with hosts Cameroon taking on Burkina Faso at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde.

    The final match of the 24-team competition will hold at the same venue on Feb. 6.

    The organisers, CAF, had previously used VAR from the quarter-finals stage of the 2019 edition in Egypt.

    However, CAF has now advanced with a full use of the innovation which gained worldwide recognition by 2018.

    It is expected to help improve the image of refereeing and also produce world-class match officials in Africa.

    Sixty-three match officials, including women referees Salima Mukasanga (Rwanda), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco), have been listed for the matches.

    The list consists of 24 referees, 31 assistant referees and eight VARs, all coming from 36 countries.

    The roster includes two referees from the CONCACAF as part of an inter-confederation skills exchange programme.

  • CAF Champions League group stage draws bring exciting football matches [FULL FIXTURES]

    CAF Champions League group stage draws bring exciting football matches [FULL FIXTURES]

    The draw for the 2021/2022 CAF Champions League Group Stage was conducted at the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday.

    Pitso Mosimane, coach of Egyptian giants Al Ahly SC, assisted Khaled Nassar, CAF Head of Competitions, in the draw.

    It paved the way towards the group stage of the premier continental club competition.

    But it had significant pairings, with Mosimane’s African champions Al Ahly drawn alongside his former South African club, Mamelodi Sundowns, alongside two Sudanese clubs.

    Following are the groups:

    Group A
    Al Ahly (Egypt)
    Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)
    Al Hilal (Sudan)
    Al Merriekh (Sudan)

    Group B
    Raja (Morocco)
    Horoya (Guinea)
    ES Setif (Algeria)
    AmaZulu (South Africa)

    Group C
    Esperance (Tunisia)
    Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)
    CR Belouizdad (Algeria)
    Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana)

    Group D
    Wydad (Morocco)
    Zamalek (Egypt)
    Petro Atletico (Angola)
    GD Sagrada Esperanca (Angola)

  • Confederation Cup: Enyimba write CAF, seek rescheduling of Al Ittihad game

    Confederation Cup: Enyimba write CAF, seek rescheduling of Al Ittihad game

    Enyimba have written to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the first leg of their Confederation Cup tie with Al Ittihad and want the fixture moved.

    CAF had earlier scheduled the game for this weekend but Enyimba said they got the information late.

    “In the spirit of sportsmanship and for the integrity of the competition, the club has elected to accept the decision,” the club said in a statement on Friday.

    “However, considering the brevity of time to the fixture, coupled with the current travelling challenges across the continent, it is absolutely impossible for us to arrange a trip to Libya within 48 hours.

    “Consequently, we have written to CAF requesting a rescheduling of the date of the fixture to December 31 to enable us sort out our visas, flight bookings, hotel reservations, and other logistics.”

    The club said they have also written to the Libyan team, based on CAF’s counsel, to inform them about their request and hope “to get their cooperation in reaching an agreement for the new date for the fixture.”

    Friday’s statement from Enyimba has further added to the controversies that have greeted the team’s game with Al-Ittihad.

    Two weeks ago, The Peoples Elephants had beaten their foes in the second leg of the match. The win in Aba was a sequel to the postponement of the first leg of the game following controversies over COVID-19 protocols. Enyimba were barred from entering Tunisia, Al-Ittihad’s adopted home ground.

  • CAF unveils AFCON 2021 match ball ‘Toghu’

    CAF unveils AFCON 2021 match ball ‘Toghu’

    As part of the countdown to Africa’s biggest sporting event, CAF yesterday announced the launch of the official match ball for the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations.

    The new official match ball, named “Toghu” after the traditional outfit that is very popular in Cameroon, will be used by the 24 teams during the 52 matches to be played at the competition between 09 January 2022 and 06 February 2022.

    ‘Toghu’ is a multi-coloured and finely embroidered outfit.

    A ‘Toghu’ was initially designed for Royalty in the North West region of Cameroon but has since been adopted Cameroonians as an outfit for special occasions.

    Designed to meet the highest standards in the game, the ball features simple technological features including a smart panel configuration and it’s FIFA-approved to be used at highest levels of the game.

  • CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba record vital away win in Senegal

    CAF Confederation Cup: Enyimba record vital away win in Senegal

    Enyimba International Football Club of Aba on Saturday recorded a precious win away in the 2021/2022 CAF Confederation Cup’s second preliminary round first leg match.

    Cyril Olisema scored from the penalty kick spot three minutes from time to give Enyimba a precious away win over Senegal’s ASC Diambars in Thies.

    The game looked on its way to a barren stalemate till the two-time African champions swept them away.

    They were awarded a penalty kick after 87 minutes, and Olisema kept his nerves to give The People’s Elephants the match-winner.

    Algeria’s JS Kabylie returned from neighboring Morocco with a 1-0 victory over AS FAR in Rabat.

    Ali Haroun shot was deflected by FAR defender Mohamed Moufid to give JS Kabylie the lead after 19 minutes.

    The visitors stood strong against the Moroccans’ numerous trials to find an equaliser to emerge victorious.

    The return leg will take place in Tizi Ouzou on Oct. 23