In a statement made public by the Minister of Communication, spokesman for the government, René Sadi provides clarifications following the accusations of fraud of which Cameroon has been a victim since the beginning of the CAN 2021.
Below, the full press release
"It has been observed for some time that some conventional media and other social networks, relay allegations, stating that Cameroon would act in co-action with the Confederation of African Football, in order to favor the Indomitable Lions, in the perspective of their final victory at the CAN TOTALENERGIES 2021 underway in Cameroon.
According to the authors of these allegations, most of the COVID-19 tests performed on the players and technical coaches of Cameroon's opponents, would be deliberately manipulated in order to distort the results, and thus weaken them during sports confrontations on the field.
In addition, according to these critics, the refereeing of matches involving the Cameroonian football team would be favorable to him each time, in order to ensure his progress towards the ultimate objective; of the rest programmed according to them, of his final victory.
Moreover, the organisation of the competition itself suffers from alleged logistical deficiencies, in particular in the accommodation of certain sports delegations.
Faced with such manifest untruths, the Government of the Republic intends to provide the following clarifications:
• With regard to COVID-19 tests, this obligation, linked to the specifications of the competition with regard to sports delegations, is the exclusive competence of CAF, which has committed for this purpose, a laboratory of foreign law and international renown. Similarly, the quarantine protocols for athletes and supervisors who test positive and their possible reintegration into the various groups are also within the competence of CAF.
• As for refereeing, Cameroon, a country participating in the competition in the same way as the other 23 national teams, is in no way responsible for any decision in this area, which again, is the sole responsibility of CAF.
• Regarding the accommodation of all delegations, the conditions relating to them have been validated by CAF. These, moreover, are duly respected by the Local Organizing Committee, COCAN, under the strict control of CAF, which obviously removes any suspicion of discrimination.
In view of the above, there is therefore no doubt that the accusations made by both sides against Cameroon and its national team are unfounded, and that they do not hide the unacknowledged will of some actors and observers, to cast opprobrium on Cameroon, and therefore, to alter the full success of a competition for which the entire nation is unanimously mobilized.
The Government of the Republic denounces with the greatest firmness, and demands that this campaign of unjustified denigration, directed against a country whose reputation and sporting ethics are widely established throughout the world, and which has just made heavy investments, under the leadership of the PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, HIS EXCELLENCY PAUL BIYA, in order to make the CAN TOTALERNERCIES 2021, the most beautiful of its kind, ever organized in Africa.
In any event, the Government of the Republic appeals to the restraint and objectivity of football lovers, and particularly of the African brothers of the countries in competition, so that fair play, fraternity and friendship may prevail, guarantees of the smooth running and total success of this great continental sporting celebration."
Yaoundé, January 28, 2022
The Minister of Communication, government spokesman,
René Emmanuel SADI
