Category: Sports

Much uncertainty still surrounds the coaching staff of the Cameroon national team after the appointed head coach Marc Brys, visited the Cameroon Football Federation in Tsinga, Yaounde.

Marc Brys honoured the FECAFOOT Secretary-General, Blaise Djounang’s invitation to the federation’s headquarters on Monday, May 13.

The meeting which was attended by some members of the technical staff appointed by FECAFOOT as well as the technical adviser at the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, Cyrille Tolo, lasted close to an hour, with discussions centered on the list of players published by coach Marc Brys on Saturday.

‘He will work with the FECAFOOT. That is why he came to present himself at the federation’ MINSEP technical adviser, Cyrille Tolo said. He disclosed that the contact meeting was only about the coach’s list.

The working session was in camera, with no declarations made to the press at the end. The only statements reporters could get were from the MINSEP technical adviser, who avoided commenting on
what would become of the two groups of coaching staff.

FECAFOOT President, Samuel Eto’o was not present. Notwithstanding, the coach’s list was validated and the federation made a publication of the pre-selected players for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde and Angola.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

By Biwah Bryan

The Cameroon Football governing body has finally bowed to instructions from the presidency. Fecafoot had previously dragged its feet on the appointment of a new head coach for the national football team.

The head coach of the Indomitable Lions, Marc Brys, made his inaugural visit to the Cameroon Football Federation on Monday, following his absence from the initial meeting convened by FECAFOOT, facilitated by its Secretary General.

Accompanying Brys was the technical advisor to the Minister of Sports, Cyrille Tollo, who directed the coach’s interactions at FECAFOOT, including barring Brys from addressing the press. Also in attendance were his assistant, Joachim Mununga, and other members of the Indomitable Lions’ technical staff, such as goalkeeper trainer Carlos Kameni who was appointed by Fecafoot.

Notably, despite Brys having collaborated with the minister’s technical team for a short duration, he reportedly fostered professional relationships with Fecafoot’s technical personnel.

During
the meeting, Fecafoot reiterated to Brys that player call-ups would adhere to his preselections, with any non-compliance brought to his attention for suitable replacements.

However, following the denial of Marc Brys from speaking to the press, Cyrille Tollo disclosed that Brys’ attendance at the meeting signaled his willingness to collaborate with the Cameroon Football Federation. Tollo further clarified, stating, ‘There’s no longer any debate; what the Minister of Sports is currently undertaking is simply following the directives of the president.’

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Bofoakwa Tano have booked a place in the finals of this year’s MTN FA Cup after beating defending champions Dreams FC 2-1 on Sunday. 

Dubbed as the Bono derby, the Hunters, who last made the finals in 1983 would face Nsoatreman FC, who would also be making their debut appearance.

Bofoakwa Tano fought a good fight in their game against Dreams FC after a 0-0 draw in the first 45 minutes. 

After recess, Coach John Eduafo’s side broke the virginity of the game which was later responded by the Dawu boys in the 60th minute. 

The game entered extra time after an exciting 90 minutes of play could not change the stories of both sides. 

Elijah Addai’s superb strike was enough to hand Bofoakwa Tano a deserving win on the night. 

Nsoatreman on the other hand proved to be favourites against Legon Cities on Saturday, securing a 2-1 win at the WAFA Park, Sogakope. 

16-year-old Afetorgbor Foster registered his name on the scoresheet with a powerful shot in the 35th minute to get Nsoatreman ahead.

Three minutes later,
Eric Osei Bonsu added to the tally of the Bono side to increase the woes of Legon Cities. 

William Kweku Adjei’s 58th-minute goal sent Legon Cities packing as the game ended 2-1.

The FA Cup title would head to the Bono Region for the second time after Bechem United became champions in 2016. 

The 2023/24 MTN FA Cup final will be played at the Legon Sports Stadium. 

Source: Ghana News Agency

A list of 31 pre-selected players has been released by the coach of the Cameroon senior national team, Marc Brys, ahead of the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Cape Verde and Angola in June.

The coach held a press conference on Friday, May 11, at the conference room of the Omnisport Stadium in Yaounde and unveiled a list of three goalkeepers, 11 defenders, 9 midfielders and 8 attackers.

There was a massive return of players that had been snubbed by former coach Rigobert Song. Choupo Moting, Fai Collins, Michael Ngadeu, Christian Bassogog, Kunde Malong and Harold Moukoudi made their return.

2017 AFCON winner, Fabrice Ondoa, was left out. The substitute goalkeeper for French third division club, Nimes, was omitted for Simon Omossola and Simon Ngapandouetmbu, who form the goalkeeping trio with Andre Onana.

Young and new players have also made their arrival to the national team. Carlos Baleba, James Armel Eto’o, Yvan Dibango, Jackson Tchatchoua, and Guy-Marcelin Kilama among others, will be part of
preparations for the upcoming double fixture.

The 2024 Elite One top scorer, Jules Armand Kooh of Astres FC, and YOSA’s prolific striker Nchindo John Bosco, are the two players selected from the local league.

Marc Brys has said he is ready to work for good results and is open to collaborate with the federation despite the tensions that exist.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

By Biwah Bryan

The Association of Amateur Football Clubs in Cameroon (ACFAC) has announced its decision to challenge the Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) in court over the appointment of its own technical staff for the national men’s football team.

In a statement released by ACFAC, they made it clear that they are not pleased with FECAFOOT’s decision even after going as far as urging the President of FECAFOOT to have an open dialogue with the Minister of Sports and Physical Education to avoid any damage to the country’s football image.

Despite these efforts, FECAFOOT went ahead with the appointment of a second technical staff, a move that violates FIFA regulations, as stated in a letter addressed to FECAFOOT on May 6, 2024.

The Association believes that the appointment of a second technical staff will adversely affect the preparation of the Indomitable Lions for the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers and could ultimately result in a poor performance by the team.

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are e
xpected to face Cape verde on June 3rd in Yaounde and Angola on June 10 and already the head coach of the indomitable lions, Marc Brys has published a list of preselected players without the endorsement of Fecafoot

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The draws for the 2024 Cameroon Cup have been completed at the FECAFOOT headquarters in Yaounde, with 33 professional league clubs and 31 amateur teams scheduled to participate.

Matches were programmed from the 32nd-finals to the semi-finals. ‘We tried to improve on our draws. Instead of doing a draw at each round, we did an integral draw such that each team can already imagine who their next opponent will be in case of victory’ the director of competitions, Betrand Elouna said.

The 32nd-finals will be played from May 15 to 19, while the round of 16 will come up from May 22 to 26, and the quarter-finals and semi-finals between June 8 and 16.

The director of competitions said all of the matches will be played on neutral ground, according to the pitches selected by the Secretary General of FECAFOOT.

It was also indicated that all matches will be single-leg, and that in case of a draw in any encounter, penalties will be played.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

Olympic Bronze Medalist, Samuel Takyi has made his way into professional boxing as a new signee of Streetwise Management, an international managerial body.

The boxer, who won his first international medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo would join other experienced young boxers under his new management.?

A statement from the boxer said ‘It is with a heavy heart that I leave the amateur ranks and fully commit myself to my professional career.?

‘It has been a fantastic journey and I want to thank all who helped me along the way culminating in that historic time at the Tokyo Olympics where I won my beloved Ghana a Bronze medal.’?

He expressed appreciation to Mr Mustapha Ussif, Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Kwasi Ofori Asare, Head coach of the Black Bombers, and all stakeholders who contributed to the development of his career.

The 23-year-old boxer said he would put in more work to win a world title for Ghana.

The lightweight boxer won gold for Ghana at the just-ended African Games in Accra.?

Sourc
e: Ghana News Agency

The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) has sent congratulatory messages to Ghana’s 4×100 metres men’s relay team following their qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Team Ghana, with a strong contingent of Ibrahim Fuseini, Isaac Botsio, Benjamin Azamati, and Joseph Paul Amoah secured a season-best time of 38.29 seconds at the Bahamas World Relay championship.

A statement signed by Mr. Kwabena Yeboah, President of the association said the team’s success was as a result of their hard work, dedication and perseverance.?

‘SWAG believes this achievement is a testament to your talent, teamwork, and unwavering commitment to excellence.

As you prepare to take on the world stage, SWAG urges you to remember that you’re not just representing your country, but also inspiring a generation of athletes and fans around the world,’ it said.

It urged the relay team to put in more work as they prepared towards the games.?

This year’s Olympic Games is scheduled for Friday, 26th July to Sunday, 11th Au
gust.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Following the recent appointment of a new head coach for the Cameroon national football team, FIFA has sent a letter to the Cameroon football federation expressing concerns over the appointment process

While FIFA believes that the decision of appointing the coach should be made by FECAFOOT’s executive committee without outside interference, they have no plans to sanction Cameroon.

Instead, FIFA feels that the 2015 convention signed between the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education and FECAFOOT regarding the management of national teams should be revised to clarify the rights and responsibilities of each party involved in selecting the technical staff and coach of the national team.

They stress the importance of adhering to the principles outlined in the convention and encourage dialogue between the parties to find a mutually beneficial solution.

In summary, FIFA encourages the respect of texts, dialogue, and amendment of the 2015 convention in the ongoing Ministry of Sports-FECAFOOT saga.

Source: Ca
meroon News Agency

The Minister of Sports Narcisse Mouelle Kombi has responded to a letter from FECAFOOT which stated that the selection of administrative staff for the National team is solely within the purview of the Executive Committee of the federation.

In response the minister pointed out that the Convention MINSEP-FECAFOOT of 2015 remains the reference point, giving the state, through the Ministry of Sports, full latitude to recruit and remunerate members of the administrative staff of the national football team as outlined in article 9 of the convention.

Additionally, the convention equally stipulates the mandatory opinion of the Minister of Sports for any recruitment.

The Minister called on FECAFOOT to assume the obligations that are theirs under the Convention MINSEP-FECAFOOT, emphasizing the need for collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and the technical staff led by the new coach, Marc BRYS, for the successful achievement of the objectives set by the President of the Republic.

The Minister urged the need for
harmony, peace, and unity for the development of the national team, adding that it is impérative to put aside the controversies before the Indomitable Lions face their 2026 world cup Qualifiers openets in June 2024.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

A private businessman with passion for the development of football at the grassroots, has singlehandedly sponsored the just ended colts league in the Obuasi East District.

Mr. Peter Armah Kpolly who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Big Peiro Company, a tailing construction firm, provided funds and other logistics including jerseys, footballs and public address system for all the 120 matches played during the U-13, U-15, U-17 leagues.

Football in Obuasi has taken a nosedive in recent years despite producing numerous talents who have represented the nation at various levels.

Notable among them were former Black Stars captain John Mensah, Jonathan Mensah, Mubarak Wakaso, Shaibu Yakubu and Abdul Issah Rahman, among others.

The downward trend of football in Obuasi, according to connoisseurs of the game, has been aggravated by the ban imposed on Ashanti Gold Football Club which had for many years been the mainstay of football in the mining town.

Speaking during the finals of the colts league in Obuasi,
Mr. Kpolly said he was motivated by the pool of football talents in Obuasi who needed to be unearthed to reach their potentials.

He said Obuasi had a rich history of producing football talents and called on relevant authorities and individuals to invest in the sport.

‘I want to throw a challenge to business owners to turn our attention to grass root football which serves as a breeding ground for football talents. Investing in football would give hope to the youth who would want to harness their God- given talent,’ the businessman stated.

Mr. Abdul Kadiri Issah, Chairman of the Obuasi East District Football Association, applauded Mr. Kpolly for sponsoring this year’s edition of the Obuasi East colts league.

He said the goal of the Association was to bring back the love of colts football and nurture young talented players in Obuasi East so that in the next five to ten years some of them would be part of the various national teams.

The Association is also adopting the ‘catch them young’ refereeing policy of
the Ghana Football Association as part of a broad strategy to develop football in the district.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Organisers of the Accra Inter-City Homowo Marathon has announced the registration code for the 2024 edition of the race.

This follows the renewal of relationship between the organisers, Medivents Consult and TXT Ghana Limited.

A statement from the organisers Medivents Consult and signed by Mr. Michael Atitsogbui – Events Coordinator, said participants would dial *380*21# to register for the event.

It said, the decision to use short code for registration was to make the process more convenient and easier for participants.

The statement said, participants can also register on the website of the race; www.accraintercitymarathon.com.

It noted that, participants would be required to pay GHC70.00 for the 21-kiometer category and GHC50.00 for both 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer categories.

The third edition of the Accra Inter-City Homowo Marathon would be held on Saturday, August 3, as part of the activities making the annual homowo festival.

The race would commence at the Accra Sports Stadium and end at the Bu
kom Boxing Arena.

Over 2000 athletes are expected to take part in this year’s event.

The event is an initiative of Medivents Consult and supported by the Ga Traditional Council (GTC).

Source: Ghana News Agency