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Workers are applying final touches to the fan zones in Yaounde ahead of the long-awaited launch this weekend of Africa’s biggest sporting event.
Beset by months of problems and uncertainty, the month-long Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) gets under way on Sunday when host nation Cameroon play Burkina Faso.
Preparations to get the giant screens, shops, restaurants and fan space ready for thousands of supporters in the nation’s capital are definitely in last-minute mode.
“We Cameroonians love to leave everything to the last gasp,” laughs Simon Atangana, a former national player who is part of an organisation setting up the fan zones.
“Everything will of course be ready. AFCON is going to be a huge party, and the pictures will be spread around the world.”
But a familiar foe – coronavirus – is a potential fly in the ointment.
The global pandemic forced the postponement of AFCON from last year, and fears of another delay were eased only last month.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has set down tough rules in a bid to prevent AFCON becoming a super-spreader event.
Those wanting to enter the stadium must be completely vaccinated – in a country where just six percent of the adult population has been jabbed – and show a negative PCR test for the virus that is less than 72 hours old.
Venues have been limited to 60 percent of capacity, although this is being raised to 80 percent when Cameroon’s “Indomitable Lions” take the field.
The rampant spread of the Omicron variant is casting a pall over team lineups.
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Source : france24
