“Cameroon’s ability to host the 2019 Africa football Cup of Nations depends on the availability of adapted modern infrastructure,” said Oumarou Tado, secretary general of Cameroon’s Ministry of Sports and Physical Education.

“It is regrettable that many of these new projects have led to vast deforestation – but we had to meet the strict (guidelines) of the African football confederation,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

In Yaounde, the capital, about 34 hectares of trees were cut to build the new Olembe stadium, about 13 km from the centre of the city. In Limbe, 30 hectares of forests were removed to create space for a stadium and a sport training facility.

Much more land has been cleared to build other facilities related to the 2019 competition, including roads, hotels and large new tracts of housing, environmentalists say.

Part of what has driven tree cutting, Tado said, is that specifications for Cup of Nations infrastructure improvements require the new facilities to be built in areas that are easily accessible but without traffic problems.

“These specifications were found in forested areas on the outskirts of major cities,” he said.

Cameroon’s legendary World Cup soccer player Roger Milla, a sports ambassador for the country, said forested areas had to give way to improve the country’s sporting facilities, noting that “to make omelets one has to break eggs”.

“Cameroon is a lead football nation in Africa but paradoxically without modern sports infrastructure. We have been waiting for this for a long time,” said Milla, whose foundation Coeur d’Afrique has taken part in tree planting efforts in Yaounde since 2016.

‘A BIG THREAT’

Environment experts, however, have criticised the decision to build on forested areas, saying urban trees must be protected if the country is to avoid worsening impacts of climate change, including flooding and droughts.

“Forests are very important in regulating city climate, thus their loss or degradation is a major source of emissions of carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change and is a big threat to the livelihood of the population,” said Samuel Nguifo, executive director of the Centre for Environment and Development, a Yaounde environmental non-profit.

He said forests act as “air conditioners” for cities, cooling residents suffering increasingly hot weather.

Cameroon has in recent years seen large areas of forest cut for mining projects, new ports, hydroelectric dams and other projects under the country’s Vision 2035 project.

That economic development plan aims to slash widespread unemployment and cut Cameroon’s poverty rate from 40 percent in 2007 to less than 20 percent by 2035.

More than half of all the tree losses were in the Centre, South, East and Littoral regions where most new investment projects are concentrated, the data showed.

Adding football infrastructure has now made the pressure on Cameroon’s existing “deforestation hotspots” worse, forest experts said.

“These new sports infrastructure projects will only increase the susceptibility of these cities to the effects of climate change,” said Julius Chuezi Tieguhong, a forest researcher with the African Forest Forum.

The cities of Douala, Yaounde and Limbe have in recent years faced worsening water shortages, floods and rising temperatures – all problems likely to become worse as forest is cut, Tieguhong said.

In 2017, some roads and buildings in Cameroon’s economic hub, Douala, were submerged following days of heavy rains, while in Yaounde the sight of women and children trekking across the city to fetch scarce drinking water has become increasingly common.

REPLANTING PUSH

Cameroon’s government, however, is hopeful that teaming up with city authorities to plant more urban trees can offset some of the damage.

Jules Doret Ndongo, the country’s Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, this month signed a deal with 15 city councils in 10 regions of the country to plant more city trees and create new parks.

The effort “is a combined forest, floods, drought and water shortage protection effort,” he said.

The government says city councils will receive over 600 million FCFA ($1 million) annually to help curb deforestation.

According to Bruno Mfou’ou Mfou’ou, director of forestry in the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, tree planting efforts will target areas particularly suffering flooding or drought.

“Targeting vulnerable areas is critical in the fight against climate disasters,” he said. The city tree project comes on top of a 2017 government project that aims to restore 12 million hectares of deforested land in the country, Mfou’ou Mfou’ou noted.

Source: Reuters

Ahmad Ahmad from Madagascar celebrates one year as CAF president Friday having caused a shock last March by ending the 29-year reign of Cameroonian Issa Hayatou.

It has been a hectic time for the previously largely unknown Malagasy with plenty of changes to the African football landscape and numerous meetings with heads of state.

After the increasingly autocratic rule of Hayatou, Ahmad has been more democratic, allowing all stakeholders a chance to air views and contribute toward decision making.

We review the first year in office of Ahmad, highlighting his successes and also challenges that lie ahead.

SUCCESSES

– Morocco hosted two worthwhile symposiums, one looking at all aspects of African football and the other concentrating on the role of women in the sport.

– The Africa Cup of Nations dates were changed from January/February to June/July with effect from 2019, freeing up Europe-based stars reluctant to leave clubs in mid-season.

– CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup seasons changed from February/November to September/May, bringing them in line with most African domestic seasons.

– There may be only two women on the CAF executive – Isha Johansen of Sierra Leone and Lydia Nsekera of Burundi – but the winds of change are gathering strength.

– CAF now pay referees for international assignments instead of host nations or clubs, lessening the risk of pressure being placed on match officials to favour one side.

CHALLENGES

– Cup of Nations hosting uncertainty – 2019 hosts Cameroon are latest country racing against clock – has to end. Set a readiness deadline and stick to it.

– CAF club prizes must increase. South African side SuperSport United lost money last season despite reaching the Confederation Cup final.

– The CAF Super Cup match in which the Champions League winners host the Confederation Cup title-holders is grossly unfair and should become a two-leg affair.

– More former stars are getting CAF positions, but only one, 1988 African Footballer of the Year Kalusha Bwalya of Zambia, is part of the executive.

– Many pre-match “dirty tricks”, especially concerning training facilities, could be avoided if the neutral, well-renumerated match commissioners became more involved.

Source:Citizentv.co.ke

The Tajoura migrant camp on the edge of Tripoli was the scene of a clash between lions: teams of Cameroonian and Senegalese soccer players whose dream is to play in Europe.

The Indomitable Lions and the Lions of Teranga took their names from those of their national teams, but the match had little of the atmosphere of African sports events. Played on a sandy pitch marked out by a low white wall in front of a prison building, its only spectators were two prison guards.

The teams had been thrown together, their players selected from among 500 inmates who have languished in detention for months. The luckiest players had shoes, but others tread the makeshift stadium in their socks.

Flourescent yellow bibs for Senegal, orange for Cameroon, the migrants took the game deadly seriously. After the warm-up, they saluted their two spectators.

After a few minutes of sprinting, dribbling and crunching tackles, sweat began to appear on the players’ foreheads. Short of breath, one Senegalese player threw in the towel and sat at the foot of the wall.

“I can’t take it any more. I haven’t had any physically activity for months, we don’t move in prison,” he said.

“Plus, we’re amateurs,” he added. “The Cameroonians are real players who played for teams.”

The match continued without him, and the score left no doubt: the Cameroonians won 4-0.

Mamadou Awal, 21, said he was proud of the victory.

A midfielder like his idol, former French superstar and Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, Awal left Cameroon at 17 in a bid to reach Europe and become a professional player after a few years in a training center in his nation.

He decided to “go on an adventure,” he said, adding that he was confident in his talent, “but destiny decided otherwise.”

After boarding a boat headed for Europe, he was arrested at sea.

“In Libya, I suffered a lot — it’s my third time in prison,” he said.

European glory is also the dream of his teammate, Takoute Styve, who quit his studies “to devote myself to football.”

“When I saw [Cameroonian stars] Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o, I wanted to become like them,” he said.

According to the UN, up to 1 million migrants are in Libya, tens of thousands of them detained in inhumane conditions.

After playing for two second-division teams in Cameroon and attending two training centers, Ukamou Lobu left his hometown at 16 to attempt the crossing to Europe.

“I tried to leave Algeria and then Morocco, but I did not succeed,” he said.

He dreams of playing for Arsenal, but 22-year-old Seryne Diokhane said he has “nothing to do with football.”

“It’s just an opportunity for me to get out of jail for a while,” he said. “When they asked who can play, I answered ‘me’ right away.”

He was interrupted by a camp official, Faraj al-Guilouchi, who asked the migrants to return to their cells.

“We organize matches every week to try to alleviate their suffering,” Guilouchi said. “Most of them have suffered psychological shocks, either because they have tried and failed [sea] crossings or because they have lost loved ones.”

He said the camp would soon try to organize a tournament among various African nations.

“No thanks, all we want is to leave this place,” a migrant said in a low voice, as the metal door of the prison closed behind him.

Source: Tapei Times

Nigerian football legends will take on Spanish club Barcelona legends in a charity match, organised to honour the work of Nigerian First Lady, Aisha Buhari.

The match dubbed ‘Clash of Legends’ will feature stars like Nigeria’s Jay Jay Okocha, Nwanko Kanu and Netherland’s Edgar Davids who played for Barcelona.

The competition organized by National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is scheduled for 10th March at the National Stadium, Abuja.

The match is being organised to support the charity work of Mrs Buhari’s foundation Future Assured Programme.

The Director General, NCWD Mrs Mary Ekpere-Eta at a press briefing on the programme, yesterday, said NCWD and UNICEF having recognised the laudable project of the first lady is hosting the two-day programme in her support for the work she is doing especially for the Nigerian child.

The UNICEF chief education officer, Terry Dumnian said they are supporting the programme because education is diverse adding that they are using sport as a uniting force to bring the children together and impact on their lives.

Source: Africa News

Congo-Brazzaville shocked football giants Cameroon 1-0 in their 2018 African Nations Championship, Group D match played at the Stade Adrar in Morocco on Tuesday night.

Junior Makiesse scored from the penalty spot late in the second half to put Congo atop of the group standing as the other match of the night saw Angola and Burkina Faso play to a 0-0 draw.

Makiesse stepped up to slot past Indomitable Lions’ goalkeeper Oscar Kitalo Ezenwa after the keeper was thought to have brought Prestige Mboungou down even though he seemed to get a hand to the ball.

Being a goal down Cameroon dominated proceedings in the first half, stringing passes together brilliantly and constantly putting the Congo defence under pressure.

After Congo goalkeeper Mouoko caught a pull out by Franz Pangop and a shot by Bonny Elame drifted away, the Red Devils took over, and Ngombe could have extended the lead with a header off a free kick, but it went over.

The Red Devils showed ability from dead balls, constantly putting Kalati under pressure from such openings. Willy Namedji and Awono wasted two opportunities that came the way of the Indomitable Lions.

Indomitable Lions showed greater potency in the second half and Awono should have done better than fluff a pass by Elame from six yards as Cameroon broke forward in the 66th minute.

Cameroon huffed and puffed, but it was Congo that had the breakthrough with the penalty award four minutes to the end.

The result, combined with Group D’s early match on Tuesday night which saw Angola and Burkina Faso play to a 0-0 draw, leaves Congo atop the standings with three points.

Source: Sokaeast.com

Source: BBC

The performances of the five representatives from the continent at the World Cup in Russia this June will be top of the 2018 agenda for African football‚ but it is also a busy year off the field for the African game. Egypt‚ Morocco‚ Nigeria‚ Senegal and Tunisia fly the flag in mid-year where Africa will be hoping for at least a quarterfinal appearance and hopefully a first-ever side into the semifinals.

But the best team on paper – Morocco – have been handed a horror first round draw in the same group as 2010 World Cup winners Spain and current European champions Portugal‚ puncturing much of the continent’s hope. At the last World Cup in Brazil‚ Algeria and Nigeria made it through to the second round while the Ivory Coast were unlucky not to also get through to the last-16 but it is likely to be a poorer return this time round.

The rest of national teams will be focused on the qualifiers for the 2019 African Nations Cup‚ which resume in September. Rounds two to five of the six-match schedule for each country will be completed by the end of the year with the last qualifiers being played in March 2019.

Off the field‚ the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is to make a decision on the hosting of the next finals‚ which have been expanded to 24 teams. Cameroon insists they are capable of handling the increased numbers but CAF are sending an independent auditing firm to check on their preparations and adjudicate.

But it might come down to a political decision‚ anyway‚ with the new CAF leadership looking to snub former president Issa Hayatou‚ who is from Cameroon‚ and move the tournament to Morocco‚ who have been the biggest backers of new president Ahmad and his transformation plans.

CAF must also settle the issue when the new-look club competition format is introduced plus a raft of top personnel changes are expected at the headquarters in Cairo over the next months. For the moment‚ the two annual club competitions – the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup – will be played from February to November.

The Champions League winner‚ as is tradition‚ goes onto compete at the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi at the end of the year. The year starts with the Chan (African Nations Championship) 2018 finals in Morocco‚ who are replacing Kenya as hosts.

The 16-team tournament‚ starting next Friday‚ is for home-based national teams only and hardly raises much interest.

Source: Times Live

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah won the African Player of the Year award on Thursday (Jan 4), the first Egyptian to achieve the feat since 1983.

Fellow Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane of Senegal was runner-up and 2015 winner Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund and Gabon third.