Sports

Work at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium is about 80 per cent completed, same as the annex stadiums number 1 and 2 as well as the military stadium.

Contrary to fears that Cameroon might not be ready for the 2016 AFCON, a visit by the CAF inspection team to the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium and the military stadium in Yaounde has revealed that the country is well advanced with preparations towards hosting the tournament.

The entire edifice of the stadium has been transformed with an ultra modern green turf already in place and seats affixed on the stadium. For now, work is concentrated on raising the roof over the presidential tribune and doing finishing work on the external buildings that will host toilets, restaurants and infirmaries.

Work on affixing and numbering of seats on the stadium will finish by October 5^th while the two giant screens to be affixed on the stadium and the video surveillance and sound system will be completed by August 28. Already workers could be seen working on the scaffold for the roofing and the electronic score boards.

While the green turf is ready, the athletic track is yet to be completed. The pillars to carry the lighting system have already been erected. The control building will be completed on September 30. Work on the various parking lots outside the stadium will equally be completed by September 15. In a nutshell, all work will be completed on the stadium by October 15.

As concerns the annex stadiums, the annex stadium number 1 is almost completed with the green turfs growing though not yet to maturity and the grand stand as well as the dressing rooms already constructed. Meanwhile major work on the military stadium in Yaounde is already done with the green turf in place, the seating places for spectators and the stores for businesses already completed.

The CAF officials were visibly happy with the progress o f work done though they insisted to make another inspection visit in order to ascertain the country’s readiness to host the tournament. The readiness of Cameroon is not only in the sports infrastructural aspect as disclosed by the president of Fecafoot in a meeting on Monday between the CAF inspectors and the local organizing committee.

The hotels are ready, vehicles also and a good telecommunications network with 3G mobile phone operators and the availability of the optical fibre to ease communication in addition to the numerous cyber cafes around town.

Cameroon Tribune

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Rita Akana

27.Jul.2016

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FIFA’s Africa tour in Nigeria has shone some light on the hopes of the continent to have a bigger representation at the World Cup as President Gianni Infantino is pushing for 40 instead of the 32 teams at the 2026 finale.

Africa currently has five slots at the World Cup which has been criticised for being imbalance considering the large number of countries on the continent. Until 1998, Africa was only represented by 3 teams.

“I believe for the World Cup 2026 there should be 40 teams. And out of the eight more there should be at least two slots for African teams,” Infantino said in Nigeria.  

Just like his predecessor Sepp Blatter, Gianni Infantino has expressed his desire to have more representation for Africa and Asian countries.

Just like his predecessor Sepp Blatter, Gianni Infantino has expressed his desire to have more representation for Africa and Asian countries.

“This is what I declared during my campaign and as you know I’m not a dictator but a democratically elected FIFA president, so I have to speak to everyone and listen to everyone as well,” he added referring to his promises during his bid for the presidency.

The FIFA president together with the new FIFA General Secretary, the Senegalese Fatma Samoura, spent two days in Abuja and met with 18 presidents of African football federations as well as the president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.

African news

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Rita Akana

26.Jul.2016

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on Friday July 22, 2016, 450 boys and girls from the 10 regions of Cameroon gathered at the Palais Polyvalents des Sports of Yaounde, for the kickoff of the Jr NBA 6 weeks basketball league in Cameroon. The event was officially launched by the Ambassador of the United States Michael S. Hoza, Cameroon’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education Pierre Ismael Bidoung Mpkatt, the President of the Cameroon Basketball Federation Samuel Nduku, NBA Player Luc Mbah A Moute, and honorary guest Ambassador Roger Milla.  

Cameroonian NBA Player Luc Mbah A Moute was the star of this program, a Cameroonian hero who attained success and has returned home to do great things for youth. Luc Mbah

is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mbah a Moute also plays for the Cameroon national basketball team.

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Rita Akana

26.Jul.2016

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With Cameroon embarked on the construction of sports infrastructure towards hosting the 2016 and 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, the country is being courted by several foreign countries eager to win contracts. After the Japanese, Chinese and Turks, here come the Canadian proposing to do the renovation work on the Douala Reunification stadium earmarked to host matches for the 2016 AFCON.

The Canadian High Commissioner to Cameroon, Rene Cremonese accompanied by the director of Business development and sales of the Canadian Commercial Corporation, Donald Olsen and the developer of strategic markets of a business consortium, SODEVI, were at the ministry of Sports and Physical Education for the third time on Thursday July 21^st to push their bid for the contract.

The Canadian bid includes an offer for pre financing from the Canadian Commercial Corporation and all what is needed is a protocol of understanding, said Jean François Leroux of SODEVI. While noting that progress has been made since the last meeting, the Canadian high commissioner said there was need to speed up things for work to start soonest since they were working within a very tight schedule. The technical and financial aspects of the project were to be discussed with the Cameroonian authorities in a meeting the following day after the audience with the minister.

The minister of Sports and Physical education expressed gratitude that Canada was interested in helping Cameroon organise the 2019 AFCON saying he will accelerate the administrative procedure towards the award of the contract disclosing that he had already forwarded all necessary information towards the signing of the protocol accord to hierarchy. He said the whole of Cameron was mobilised towards the successful hosting of the 2016 and 2019 AFCONs and urged the Canadian visitors to feel free in Cameroon, a land of hospitality.

Cameroon Tribune

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Rita Akana

25.Jul.2016

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