a not very flamboyant first round, but an organization at the rendezvous

Tears first. Those of Mohamed Kamar, a goalkeeper without fame, who could not retain his own when he was presented with the man of the match trophy on January 10. The Sierra Leone goalkeeper had just repelled seven shots from the invincible Algerians, pushing them to one knee (0-0). Tears again. Esteban’s Obiang, an unknown from Equatorial Guinea who, just after his goal scored against the Fennecs (0-1), could not hide them. Always tears. Those of the Algerian supporters, lost in the stands of the Douala stadium, wondering in vain where the flamboyant game of the defending champions went, eliminated in the first round by a sumptuous team from Côte d’Ivoire (3-1).

The first part of this 33^e African Cup of Nations (CAN) ended on Thursday 20 January. Thirty six matches, 127 goals and a few surprises. On the ground, the tournament has not yet kept all its promises. The heavyweights, like Senegal or Egypt, are unable to develop fluid and hard-hitting football. Cameroon ensures at home, even if the Lions can be tamed at any time. Nigeria impressed in their first victorious match against the Pharaohs (1-0) with their speed and technique. The Tunisians are rising in power, like Morocco and Gabon, which despite scandals around bonuses and the departure of his star, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, seems to have tapped into these controversies “excess energy”, as Patrice Neveu, the coach of the Panthers, wants to believe.

This CAN is obviously special: it is the first under Covid. The virus forces breeders to juggle with numbers that can be decimated at any time. Thus, on January 20, for their decisive match (0-0) against Gambia, the Catharge Eagles had twelve players tested positive, including Captain Wahbi Khazri. Some substitutes take the opportunity to shine, like Seny Dieng, Senegal’s third goalkeeper.

The “small” nations impressed

If the favorites do not shine, the “small” nations have impressed: Gambia for their first participation, Malawi, Cape Verde or Sierra Leone have proudly defended their colors and contradicted the predictions. Well-prepared match, solid defense and – because it takes – success in attack. Thus, the Comoros overwhelmed – and eliminated (2-3) – a nervous Ghana in a crazy match, winning their first victory in a CAN in which they had never participated and qualifying for the round of 16. “Today, there are no more small teams [en Afrique] », assured the coach of the Fennecs. Hard to contradict him.

Another historic first in this African Cup: the Rwandan Salima Rhadia Mukansanga, assisted by three sisters during Zimbabwe-Guinea (2-1), was the first woman to referee a men’s meeting during a CAN.

On the organizational side, Cameroon want to silence critics about their lack of preparation and, overall, they are succeeding. The stadiums are beautiful. Like that of Olembe, which can be seen from afar, around a bend. About ten kilometers from downtown Yaoundé, the capital, it appears in a halo of light, Sunday January 9, for the opening match of the CAN.

After an original and colorful ceremony, the Indomitable Lions achieved the essentials by winning (2-1) against Burkina Faso. That evening, they also discovered a hero, Vincent Aboubakar, author of a double, then another against Ethiopia (4-1) three days later, and another goal against Cape Town -Green (1-1) in the last group match. The captain, player of the modest Saudi club of Al-Nassar Riyadh, will he still be the savior of the Lions, Monday, in the round of 16 against the Comoros? The selection has a revenge to take on history, that of winning the tournament on its land and erasing the trauma of 1972, when it was eliminated in the semi-finals in Yaoundé (0-1) against Congo.

In terms of logistics, the Cameroonians are currently there. Many efforts have been made, in particular to facilitate air travel within the country. At the level of the tournament, however, there were some hiccups like January 12, at the Limbé stadium, when the organizers twice broadcast a Mauritanian anthem which was not the right one before finally giving up. In the following match, the Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe sadly entered the annals: officially the victim of a sunstroke, he twice interrupted the Tunisia-Mali meeting before its end.

Deserted arenas

In terms of security, two events marred this first round. The stabbing of three Algerian journalists as they left their hotel in Douala. Then exchanges of fire between soldiers and armed forces injuring several people in Buéa, capital of the English-speaking region of the South-West which, with that of the North-West, is in the grip of a bloody conflict between central power and separatists.

The other challenge facing Cameroon is Covid-19 and the spread of the Omicron variant. Under the threat of a new postponement, or even cancellation, the organizers had to take several measures, more or less respected. The Cameroonian government and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) had assured that all spectators wishing to attend the matches had to be fully vaccinated and present a negative PCR test. A risky bet in a country where only 6% of the population had received at least one dose as of January 5. Due to the pandemic, the hosting capacity has been reduced to 80% for the meetings in Cameroon and to 60% for the others. The first matches were sorely lacking in spectators and atmosphere. With the exception of the opening one and those disputed in Garoua, the bleachers were often empty. But in a CAN, the arenas are often deserted when the host country is not playing.

The government had to react. In a press release published on January 15 and on “ very high instructions from the President of the Republic “, the Prime Minister announced the cessation of school, academic and professional activities from 1 p.m. The goal ? Allow pupils, students and officials to attend meetings. This controversial measure has been harshly criticized by many Cameroonians. Worse, despite these decisions, the authorities distributed thousands of tickets (often considered too expensive) to spectators to fill the stadiums. Are sanitary passes still required? A report broadcast on Equinoxe, a private television channel, shows hundreds of people crossing the entrance to the Bafoussam stadium, in the west of the country, without presenting a test or a vaccination card.

As the second part of the tournament is about to start with the knockout matches starting on Sunday 23 January, Cameroon must continue to win: the success of this CAN depends on it.