Jordan News

The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, confirmed that the final matches of the African Cup of Nations scheduled in Cameroon will be held on time.

Motsebe said in a press statement from the Olympic Stadium in Cameroon today, Monday, that “the African Cup of Nations will be held on time. I will be here in Cameroon on January 7 with my wife and children to attend the tournament, which begins on the 9th of the same month.”

He added, “My message as president of the Confederation of African Football is that we have to become more close and we want to show the best that Africa has in terms of football and management mentality.”

“I feel proud to have a person like Samuel Eto’o at the head of the Cameroon Football Federation,” Motsebe added.

He indicated that he was confident in the capabilities of the Cameroonian government to organize, stressing that the Cameroonian people deserve that the tournament be held on their land.

This comes at a time when the “Koora” website quoted a source from within the “CAF” as saying that the majority of the members of the executive office of the office of Patrice Motsepe, President of the African Confederation, agree on the decision to postpone the tournament.

The source added: “There is an emergency meeting that will be held via video technology, during which the final decision will be issued regarding the postponement of the competition until next summer.”

He continued, “There is a state of confusion accompanying the preparations of the teams, in light of the professional players’ fear of the health situation and the protocol to contain the new Corona mutant (Omicron), which supports the trend for postponement.”

The source added: “CAF will postpone the CAF for these reasons, not for the lack of equipment and the non-completion of construction work in stadiums and hotels in Cameroon.”

And he added: “Most of the members are not enthusiastic about holding the session on its traditional date. It is true that Cameroon is striving to complete the preparations, but other things impose a delay, including the confusion accompanying the summoning of professionals and the overlap of the version with the World Cup.”

The spokesman concluded: “The International Football Association is watching from a distance and is more seeking to postpone than everyone, but it refuses direct intervention, and Samuel Eto’o, the new president of the Cameroon Football Association, will be angry at this decision, but it is a fait accompli.”

The Swiss Gianni Infantino, President of the International Football Association “FIFA”, is also pressing for the postponement of the African Nations Cup, due to the objection of European clubs to sending their players to the national teams participating in the tournament, for fear of the spread of the new Corona virus.

CAF is scheduled to officially announce the fate of the African Nations Cup, after widespread controversy over whether to hold it or not.