Omikron, unrest, three percent vaccination rate – welcome to the Africa Cup
Advertising for the Africa Cup in Cameroon’s capital, Yaounde
Quelle: AFP / DANIEL BELOUMOU OLOMO
European clubs don’t like this tournament. They regularly have to send professionals to the Africa Cup in January. This year the situation is particularly difficult. In addition to a simmering racism debate, the host country also has major problems.
IIn the midst of the omicron wave and accompanied by concerns about armed conflict in Cameroon, the Africa Cup is fighting for its place in world football. The euphoria for the content tournament from January 9th to February 6th with world stars like Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (Egypt) and Manchester City attacker Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) is not shared by the top European clubs. “The Africa Cup deserves more respect. In terms of its sporting value and its popularity in Africa, the tournament is a highlight in international football for me, ”said the long-time Nigerian national coach Gernot Rohr.
The problem is the same with every edition of the Africa finals, which are comparable to the European Championship: the British clubs in particular drop many players during the season because they have to. “Is there another tournament that is as little respected as the Africa Cup?” Asked the former England international Ian Wright – and spoke of a “racist” discussion.
This year, concerns about the corona situation in the host country Cameroon, which is also domestically unstable, are even greater – according to many players and experts, however, the wrong signal.
Ex-Frankfurt Sébastien Haller, Ivory Coast and Ajax Amsterdam striker, criticized “the lack of respect for Africa” in an interview when players were asked if they would rather stay in their club’s country. “Every European club that signs an African player knows about this problem,” said the Nigerian sports journalist Osasu Obayiuwana of the ARD “Sportschau”.
Liverpool have to do without Salah and Mané
It is “simply disrespectful when the right to exist for the Africa Cup is discussed over and over again. The clubs operate in a globally accepted market. And when they sign a player, they have to respect their origin and culture, ”said Obayiuwana. Rohr said: “The timing of the Africa Cup in the middle of the season is certainly a factor, but one should accept that there are international competitions that are not necessarily held in June.”
Gernot Rohr was the Nigerian national coach
Quelle: dpa/Omar Zoheiry
In addition to Salah, Liverpool FC also have to do without Sadio Mané (Senegal). Both players and their nations are among the favorites. With seven titles in the cup, Egypt is considered the most successful African team. Senegal had to admit defeat defending champion Algeria in the final (0: 1) three years ago.
The event is actually held every two years – in 2021 it was postponed for a year due to the pandemic. Cameroon, which was a German colony before the First World War and was later divided between France and Great Britain, continues to fight the pandemic – and the highly contagious Omicron variant. According to the health organization Africa CDC, the Central African country has registered just under 109,000 infections since the beginning of the pandemic, of which around 1,850 were fatal.
In the football-loving country with around 28.5 million inhabitants, experts estimate that the number of unreported cases is higher. In addition, according to the ARD “Sportschau” in Cameroon, not even three percent of the population are vaccinated.
Attacks on the civilian population
The Senegalese national team has postponed its journey even before the start of the tournament. The players Pape Sarr, Nampalys Mendy and Mame Thiam as well as six people from the supervisory staff tested positive. Stadiums should be used to 80 percent for Cameroon games and 60 percent for all other games – access only for vaccinated people with a negative test.
In addition to the debates about player shutdowns and Corona, the tournament will continue to be burdened by the unclear security situation. The north of Cameroon has been rocked by civil unrest and attacks for years. At the end of 2016, the two largest English-speaking regions announced that they would split off and found a new country called Ambazonia. English-speaking residents of Cameroon have long complained that they are treated like second-class citizens and receive less government funding in mainly French-speaking Cameroon.
Again and again there are protests against which the security forces sometimes use violence. In addition, separatists repeatedly attack. At the end of last year, it became known that at least 30,000 people had fled violent clashes in the north of the country to neighboring Chad.
The security in the venues has therefore been strengthened. Mocking images were already making the rounds on social media, showing the mascot Mola in a bulletproof vest and accompanied by heavily armed soldiers strolling through the streets.
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