FECAFOOT Insist That The Cameroon – Namibia Match Must Be Played At The Rounde Adjia Stadium In Garoua

Calls on l’ONIES to take all necessary measures to ensure that the stadium is ready for the match

The Secretary General of Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, Djounang Blaise, on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, reacted to the August 26 correspondence of the National Sports Facilities and Equipment Board commonly known by the French acronym, l’ONIES., that was addressed to the President of FECAFOOT, Samuel Eto’o Fils,  by the Administrator of Board, Francois Felix Ewane.

In the August 26 correspondence, l’ONIES informed FECAFOOT that the Rounde Adjia Stadium in Garoua will not be in a good state to host the September 7, 2024 qualifier of the African Cup of Nations, AFCON, between Cameroon and Namibia, to be hoisted by Cameroon. L’ONIES explained that it will need at least a month to prepare the Garoua stadium to be in a good state to host an international match. But l’ONIES said since the match is less than two weeks away, it will not be possible to get the stadium ready for the encounter.   L’ONIES said the Ahmadou  Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, will be ready and available to host  the September 7 AFCON qualifier .

FECAFOOT Insist On Garoua

But In  the  correspondence addressed to the Administrator of l’ONIES on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, the Secretary General of FECAFOOT said   CAF has pointed out that it was just on Sunday, August 25, that  the Confederation validated the request to relocate the AFCON qualifier between Cameroon and Namibia, from the Japoma Stadium in Douala to Rounde Adjia  Stadium in Garoua, The FECAFOOT Scribe said CAF has said that  it cannot  again be asked to validate another request that the match be again relocated from Garoua to Yaounde.  He claimed that CAF has insisted that the match be played in Garoua.

The Secretary General of FECAFOOT called on the National Sports Facilities and Equipment Board to take all necessary measures to ensure that the Rounde Adjia Stadium is ready to host the international match between Cameroon and Namibia, on September 7, 2024, which is less than two weeks away.

CAF’s Official Position 

It should be noted that CAF s official position on the issue of the venues of matches, is that its matches, especially those involving national teams, should be played in the nation’s capital, and that such a match can only be relocated to another part of the country, if the stadium in the capital is not available. This is also for security reasons. So it is certain that if CAF had to make a choice, the Confederation would have no doubt decided that the Cameroon – Namibia match be played at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.  But then according to the text, it is the host Federation that makes the choice of the stadium, and presents it to CAF to validate. It is what FECAFOOT has done. .

That is why at the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, they know that it is FECAFOOT that in its standoff or show of force with the Sports and Physical Education Minister,, Prof Narcisse Mouele Kombi, wants the September 7 match to be played in Garoua.  The Board Chair of l’ONIES, Bell Joseph Antoine, a football legend, was a consultant at CAF for quite a number of years, and thus knows very well how things are done.

At MINSEP, it is being pointed out that it was decided at the first official preparatory meeting for the September 7 AFCON qualifier between Cameroon and Namibia, which took place in Yaounde on Friday, August 23,  that the match will  be played at the Ahmadou Ahidjio Stadium in Yaounde, but  that FECAFOOT refused to inform CAF. The preparatory meeting held two days before CAF validated the Garoua venue, on the request of FECAFOOT.

Worth noting that there are currently four stadia in Cameroon that CAF has homologated to host its matches. They are the Japoma and the Reunification Stadiums in Douala, the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde, and the Rounde Adjia Stadium in Garoua.  Bafoussam and Limbe Stadiums are off.

CAF’s President’s Advise   

It would be recalled that during the recent funeral ceremony of the former President of CAF.  Issa Hayatou, in Garoua, the current President of CAF, Dr Patrice Motsepe, openly called on the President of FECAFOOT, Samuel Eto’o, to work in synergy with the Cameroon Government for the interest of Cameroon football. Some Eto’o fans as usual criticized the President of CAF, but he definitely knew what he was saying.  Unfortunately, Eto’o clearly has not heeded to the call of the CAF President.

For now, there is uncertainty as to what will happen next. L’ONIES had already started work to prepare the Ahmadou Ahiidjo Stadium for the September 7 match, and says it needs at least one month to prepare the Garoua Stadium to host an international match, and that the stadium will not be ready to hoist the international match that Cameroon will host on September 7. But FECAFOOT insist that the match between Cameroon and Namibia will hold at the Rounde Adjia Stadium on September 7. For now thus,  it is thus a matter of wait-and –see.