The 6th edition of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) will officially start on Saturday 16 January 2021 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaoundé. The opening ceremony will be presided over by Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute.
The 6th edition of CHAN 2021 will kick off on Saturday with the Cameroon-Zimbabwe meeting under the effective presidency of Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute. The tournament will be played from January 16 to February 7. CHAN was awarded to Cameroon to allow it to roll out its new sports infrastructure and test the country’s capacity to organize for CAN 2022.
Cameroon is housed in a relatively stakeholder group A with Zimbabwe, Mali and Burkina Faso. After a poor preparation, Cameroon is counting on the law of the home to make a good African Championship of Nations. The technical staff is accused of groping and the players are accused of scoring little and receiving many goals. The local Indomitable Lions believe in their chances of reaching at least the quarter-finals of the tournament. Friendly games are different from competitions. In competition, it is sometimes the most determined team that stands out. We have to behave like Indomitable Lions, giving ourselves all the time in every game. Our country has invested a great deal in hosting this tournament. There is no question of reducing these efforts to nothing. We will give it all,’ said Selection Captain Jacques Zoua.
On the other hand, the English separatist movement warns the CAF against organizing games in the “war zone”. In correspondence to the CAF Interim President, Constant Omari, on Wednesday, January 6, the shadow government of the English-speaking separatist movement, Ambazonie, indicated that the city of Limbé is a “war zone” and cannot host an international game. One of the hens in the competition is based in Limbé, a city in the English-speaking region of the country.
“With this letter I draw your attention, that of FIFA and CAF, of all the teams so far programmed to play in Limbe, and of all potential spectators, that the whole territory of Ambazonie, including Limbe, is a war zone and is not accessible for any international match at this time,” warned Samuel Ikome Sako, Acting President of the Imaginary Republic of Ambazonia.
In their correspondence to the FCA, the separatists pointed out that they will disrupt the competition and disengage from the protection of people and property during this tournament. Therefore, they call on the FCA to “suspend the organization of CHAN in Limbe” in the English-speaking southwest of Cameroon.
