Walter Wilson Nana
Buea, Cameroon
The government of Cameroon via the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education has deposited its bid to host the 2019 African Cup of Nations, AFCON at the Confederation of African Football, CAF head office in Cairo, Egypt. This information has been confirmed at the CAF head quarter.
The last time Cameroon hosted the AFCON was in 1972, with pioneer President of the country, El Hadj Ahmadou Ahidjo. Cameroon was booted out at the semis by Congo-Bazza. If Cameroon wins the 2019 bid, it will be a great success for Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Adoum Garoua, who has been warm about Cameroon hosting the AFCON after 40 years of her last hosting.
Indomitable Lions of Cameroon - Will they be the host team this time in 2019
To begin the rigorous race to achieve hosting rights, the government of Cameroon has begun constructing some stadia across the country. The latest is the Limbe Stadium that is near completion and the first to be successfully built under the more than 30-year-reign of President Paul Biya. There are reports of the imminent inauguration of that stadium in the weeks ahead. In Bafoussam, capital of the West Region of the country, work has begun on another stadium. Recently, the Secretary General in the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, Emmanuel Wongyu was in Douala, the capital of the Littoral Region of Cameroon to look at the site for the construction of another 50,000-seater stadium, all in the preparation for Cameroon’s quest to host AFCON 2019. In Yaounde, the nation’s political capital, another football stadium is said to be in gestation.
With these new stadia undergoing construction and those to be constructed, Cameroon will use them to outsmart fellow contenders for AFCON 2019 like ; Algeria, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Conakry, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Observers hold that Cameroon will face tough challenges from these countries, who are noted to have good sporting infrastructures before now.
According to CAF, a commission composed of experts is expected to begin an inspection tour of the insfrastructural preparations of the aforementioned bidders after the next CAF Executive Meeting of February 21 2014 in Cairo, Egypt.
The final designation for the host countries for AFCON 2019 and 2021respectively will be made public in the CAF Executive Meeting of September 2014 and not May 2014 as earlier announced by CAF. The various CAF inspection teams would have made their rounds in the bidding nations.
Cameroon is not only warming up to host AFCON 2019, they have already won the bid to host the ladies’ AFCON 2016.
