Ahmad Proposes to Biya to Organize Can 2021, Ivory Coast in Danger

In a correspondence dated 30 November allegedly attributed to Ahmad transmitted to KOACI, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) have proposed to Paul Biya to organize the African Cup of Nations 2021 for which Côte d’Ivoire is Candidate. The correspondence attributed to Ahmad is addressed to President Biya a few hours after the withdrawal of CAN 2019 in Cameroon.

Emmanuel NGOTA

Excerpted from the letter attributed to Ahmad, “It is with honour and respect that I address you at the time when the Executive Committee of the CAF meeting in special session in ACCRA on 30 November 2018 has just decided to defer the organization by Cameroon of The organization of the African Cup of Nations 2019. Mr President, I would like to reassure you that, in view of the efforts you have already made and in view of the importance of your personal involvement that CAF and its executive committee would be honoured that Cameroon could agree to host the 2021 edition of the African Cup of Nations.

Analysis

According to Professor Mathias Eric Owona, «Ahmad’s agenda was clear from the outset since the symposium in Morocco, for the organisational withdrawal of CAN from Cameroon. He made this declaration on Sunday December 2, 2018 on the platform of one media outlet in Cameroon. The university don added that, “Ahmad wanted to avenge the withdrawal of the African Cup of the Nations juniors in Madagascar when Cameroonian Issa Hayatou was at the helm of CAF and of which he was the main organizer”.

On his part, Professor Pascal Martin Nyamding, said “in accordance with the specifications, it was in March 2019 that the CAF was to decide, on the organization or not of the CAN 2019 in Cameroon, why they did not wait for March 2019,” asks the teacher of International relations at the IRIC the training School of Cameroonian diplomats. For this professor of international Relations at the Iric, “Ahmad did not respect his word given at the porch of the Unity Palace at Etoudi, when he indicated that it is not up to the CAF to withdraw the CAN from a country”.

For the record, in August 2017, speaking on the micro of RFI at the exit of the symposium of the CAF in Morocco, Tombi A Roko, former president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot) had indicated, when we arrived in Morocco at the symposium of the CAF people Told us that our CAN was purchased.

Challenge

Although Cameroonian intellectuals and part of the public opinion call for a complaint to the arbitral Tribunal for Sports, the government seems to have chosen the path of appeasement. Many projects on the sports infrastructure are underway and almost finished. Many businessmen have been indebted to the banks to build hotels that are visible to all. The damage will therefore be enormous and irreparable. Finally, the withdrawal of the CAN in Cameroon takes place in a context where the final of football which marks the end of the sports season was played on Sunday December 2, 2018 at the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium where thousands of Cameroonians from North, South, East and West answered present.