The Africa Cup opens in the shadow of the virus, host Cameroon wins

Cameroon captain Vincent Abu Bakar defeated Burkina Faso 2-1 in the first match of the African Cup of Nations, scoring two penalties in quick succession, enhancing the atmosphere of the game during the coronavirus pandemic.

Abubakar scored the first penalty to the right side of the goal in the 40th minute of injury time in the first half, and the second penalty to the left in the first half of stoppage time. Before the Africa Cup finally came to their Central African country, they had been waiting for two delays that lasted three years, which relieved a large group of people at the Orembe Stadium in Yaoundé. Cameroon’s 88-year-old President Paul Biya finally smiled brightly.

Cameroon was deprived of qualifications for the 2019 competition due to problems with preparations, and due to the virus, its right to host in 2021 was postponed for one year.

When Gustavo Sangaré volleyed Burkina Faso to take the lead in the 24th minute, the wait seemed unworthy. To celebrate, he beat his chest and went away. Cameroonian fans held their heads in both hands. But Burkina Faso lost its lead in the last minutes of the first half due to two reckless defenses.

VAR to the rescue

Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore broke into Andre Frank Zambo Angela and gave Cameroon the first penalty, which was consulted by referee Mustafa Gorbar to VAR The penalty was imposed later.

VAR was used for the first time in all competitions in the African Cup. It is used in the final game from the quarter-finals.

Soon after, Issoufou Dayo slipped by mistake and fouled Nouhou Tolo. Aboubakar remained calm for the second time.

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VAR also played a key role in the second Group A match on the opening day. Cape Verde defeated Ethiopia 1-0 in Orembe. Referee Hélder Martins Rodrigues de Carvalho gave Ethiopian defender Yared Bayeh a yellow card for a foul against forward Júlio Tavares, but changed it to red in the 12th minute after consulting with VAR. Tavares scored with a header at the end of halftime.

A few hours ago, the competition officially opened at the newly rebuilt Orumbe Stadium. During the short opening ceremony, dancers in red, green, yellow, white, and blue costumes performed in the center of the venue. Some of them wear masks of matching colors, which reminds people that the month-long football show in Africa is continuing at a time when the global virus cases caused by the omicron variant are soaring.

“The Indomitable Lion”

At the beginning of the ceremony, computer-generated images of the giant lion crossed the stadium roof to pay tribute to the Cameroonian team known as the “indomitable lion.” Red, green and yellow smoke — the colors of the Cameroonian flag — burst from the huge replica of the trophy, ending the celebration and marking Cameroon’s biggest sporting moment since the last African Cup was held 50 years ago.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino (Gianni Infantino) and Biya, who has been President of Cameroon since 1982, also attended the meeting. Biya did not wear a mask, and many football supporters did not wear a mask.

The 60,000-seat stadium was almost packed in Cameroon’s games, despite the last-minute restrictions imposed by the organizers, that is, only fans who have been vaccinated and who have recently tested negative for the virus can enter the stadium to participate in any of the 52 games. a match. The attendance rate for games involving the home team is also limited to 80% of the stadium’s capacity, and the attendance rate for other games is capped at 60%.

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In view of the fact that so many of the 24 teams have experienced virus cases during the assembly process, the game will still be unavoidable from frequent infections and outbreaks.

“Today, all of us are here, which shows that we believe in ourselves, we believe in the people of Cameroon, and we believe in the people of Africa,” said Patrice Mosepe, president of the African Football Federation, at the ceremony. He said this will be the best Africa Cup ever.

However, this Africa Cup has received more suspicion than most people. There are rumors that it will be postponed again, and European clubs have expressed concern that the health agreement will not be enough to protect their African players. CAF rejected the criticism and moved on.

“The people of Cameroon are showing to the rest of Africa and the rest of the world that we can host a successful…” Motsepe said before the cheers of the crowd stopped him from speaking.