The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will begin the inspection of facilities for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon on May 22, 2021.
The seven days assessment of the facilities would end on May 28, 2021.The essence of the inspection is to assess Cameroon’s readiness for the tournament.
The delegation will inspect facilities facilities such as stadiums and hotels in host cities towards the successful organization of the 33rd edition of the biennial tournament scheduled for January and February 2022.
According to a statement released by CAF on Friday, the delegation will comprise of experts from various fields including competitions that a key to delivering a successful tournament.
“Supported by FIFA experts, the delegation will assess the country’s state of preparation and also discuss with specialists from the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) the possible technical support needed,” reads part of the statement.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The idea is to ensure that facilities under renovation or under construction for the competition comply with CAF standards.”[/perfectpullquote]
During CAF’s last visit to Cameroon, the football governing body gave Cameroon until November to complete work on the Olembe Stadium.
“CAF leadership has already indicated that they want the 2022 edition of the Total Africa Cup of Nations to be one of the best tournaments ever.
“To achieve this lofty goal, CAF, working together with the Cameroon LOC and Federation, FECAFOOT, will have to double efforts and prepare meticulously for the event.”
The inspection team comprises of experts from various fields including competitions, eventing, marketing, broadcast/tv, media, hospitality, security and various other divisions.
The tournament was due to take place in January and February 2021, but the CAF announced last June that the event would be rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented qualifiers taking place.
The tournament draw will take place on June 25, just few days after last qualifying match between Sierra Leone and Benin, which was rescheduled after the latter refused to play when five of their players tested positive for COVID-19.
Hosts Cameroon will be joined at the tournament by Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Ghana, Sudan, The Gambia and Gabon.
Morocco, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Egypt, Comoros, Algeria, Zimbabwe, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia and Nigeria have also qualified.
