Such a long wait.
Half a century after the first African Cup of Nations organized in Cameroon in 1972, the country is once again hosting the high mass of African football (January 9-February 6).
With the pressure inherent in the status of host country.
“
The Cameroonians will be fully behind their team, the Indomitable Lions at home, it's still something.
It will give them a real supplement of soul
", predicts Claude Le Roy, always assiduous follower of the Indomitable Lions, of which he was a notable coach between 1985 and 1988, year of the second continental coronation of the selection, then in 1998 for the World Cup in France.
To discover
Africa Cup of Nations: schedule and results
"
The four years I was there, we never lost at home
," remembers "the blond wizard", who has written his memories of coach in an eponymous book published in 2021. A comfort to play in front of his audience which thus raises the winner of the penultimate edition (2017) to the rank of favorite.
And a final victory would wash away the affront of the semi-final lost at home in 1972, "
a weight that still weighs on them today
," reveals the former coach.
Read alsoFavorites, organization, French coaches ... 5 questions before the start of the CAN
But playing at home is not necessarily a guarantee of success.
“
Egypt proved the opposite in 2019,
recalls Alain Giresse, Tunisia coach in 2018-2019.
Playing at home is always an advantage, but it is less of a guarantee than before.
The example of Egypt can be useful to
others. ”
Thus, in view of the relative advantage of playing at home, Cameroon, which will have to start by managing popular pressure, is less in the favorites than the much larger selections of Algeria, defending champion, and Senegal.
Defensive strength and attacking potential
On the starting line, the five-time African champion (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017) remains the third force in the mouths of specialists. “
We have a reputation to defend
, agrees Toni Conceiçao, at the head of Cameroon since 2019.
We have had interesting results. And it is in this logic that we will continue our work.
"The 60-year-old Portuguese technician, who heads there his first selection after second-class clubs, has enjoyed good results recently, starting with the first place in his group of qualifiers at the 2022 World Cup at the expense of the Côte d ' Ivory. For this CAN at home, he was thus commissioned to lead Cameroon at least in the final.
To do this, Conceiçao will be able to count on his strong men on both sides of the pitch.
Starting with goalkeeper André Onana, finally back to competition after nine months of suspension for doping.
Future Inter Milan goalkeeper, the 25-year-old goalkeeper has risen among the very best in the world in his post since his hatching at Ajax and enjoys a solid hinge in front of him with the Ngadeu-Onguéné pair, while the former Marseillais André-Franck Zambo Anguissa took on a new dimension in the midfield.
All to ensure defensive stability which is reflected in the statistics: only one goal conceded in the last five matches.
See also Samuel Eto'o elected president of the Cameroonian Federation
“
The offensive potential is also far from negligible
,” notes Claude Le Roy.
Around captain Vincent Aboubakar, victorious scorer in the 2017 final against Egypt (2-1), the Lyonnais Karl Toko Ekambi and Moumi Ngamaleu (Young Boys) present themselves as two weapons of choice available to a selection who generally evolves in 4-3-3, without forgetting the ex-Parisian Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting, who continues to play with Bayern Munich.
The opening match against Burkina Faso marred by cases of Covid-19
A whole small armada already expected at the turn this Sunday against Burkina Faso (5 p.m.) at the Paul Biya Stadium in Olembé, near the capital Yaoundé.
A brand new setting with 60,000 seats finally delivered on time, while the site has been constantly delayed.
The whole history of the CAN organized by Cameroon, initially host country of the edition ... 2019. Before inheriting the 2021 edition, postponed for a year because of the pandemic and relocated in winter due to more favorable climatic conditions.
To read also "The Maghreb countries, they are the ones who always mess things up", the lunar exit of Roger Milla before the CAN
This sparked the sling of international clubs, more inclined to release their players once the season is over. FIFA even lobbied to postpone the competition, and some African Federations were in favor of a postponement… including Burkina Faso. A detail as if to add spice to an opening match already subject to controversy. Following the tests carried out 48 hours before the meeting, as required by the protocol in force, the coach as well as four Burkinabe players tested positive for Covid-19. "
We must have explanations, it's a scandal
", was carried away the former Lyonnais Bertrand Traoré, captain of the Stallions, on the eve of a meeting which promises to be already explosive. One thing is certain, the CAN will be played (finally) on the field from this Sunday.
