The president of CAF confirms: the next CAN 2021 will take place in Cameroon from January 9 to February 6, 2022.
Quite entertained by FIFA and European clubs, it was necessary to put an end to all these speculations. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) had announced that it would not give up on Sunday, during a meeting of its Executive Committee. However, pressure continued to be exerted from all sides.
Already on Monday, the President of CAF had shown the trends in unequivocal terms. On Tuesday, Patrice Motsepe ended the debates. At the end of an audience with the Head of State of Cameroon, host country of the competition, the president of CAF was clear:
"I confirm once again. The CAN 2021 will indeed take place in Cameroon in January 2022. The opening match will be played on January 9 between Cameroon and Burkina Faso. And I will be in Cameroon on January 7," the South African leader said.
Patrice Motsepe and CAF therefore say "no" to FIFA who was maneuvering behind the scenes in view of another shift in the competition that Cameroon has been waiting for since 2019.
"We can't always allow Africa to come to the end and be last. We must always identify problems and challenges. We also need to have confidence that we can overcome them and deal with them responsibly."
Dr Patrice Motsepe, President of CAF
This way of thinking is in line with the ideas of President Samuel Eto'o of Fécafoot. He strongly defended before the Executive Committee the holding of this event.
CAN 2021: Pitfalls, everywhere else
The European Club Association, UEFA, and FIFA all joined forces against hosting the tournament in January. If some hoped outright for its cancellation, FIFA asks for a fixed date programming, between September and November.
Jordan Z.
