IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS - AFRICA
Picture : President Eto'o hand Ballon d'Or to Maroua Souaibou.
Ballon d’Or rebirth in Cameroon 30 years afterwards.
Domestic football in Cameroon is certainly living its best years ever. One more red feather was fitted on its cap on Saturday with the organization of the defunct Ballon d’Or honouring the best in local football; an initiative begun in 1974 but dead after the 1992 edition. Some 14 footballers, coaches, referees, presidents, and the country’s President were rewarded in various aspects as follows: 1- Best men’s player (Maroua Souaibou). 2 – Best men’s goalkeeper (Derrick Fru Anye). 3 – Best men’s hopeful (Patient Wassou). 4 – Best men’s coach (Gabriel Haman). 5 – Best women’s player (Monique Ngock). 6 - Best women’s coach (Mike Ndoumou). 7 – Best women’s hopeful (Lamine Mana). 8 - Best women’s goalkeeper (Annette Ngo Ndom). 9 – Best club president (Fernand Sadou). 10 – Special prize for professionalism (Canon Yaounde). 11 – Special prize for the promotion of Youth Football (Les Brasseries du cameroun). 12 – Special Mbappe Lepe prize. 13 – Special prize for the Development of Cameroon football(President Paul Biya).
From 1974 to 1992, only two players won the best player award twice each: Roger Milla(1975, 1976); Théophile Abega(1982, 1983). Players from Canon Yaounde won the award 9 times; Tonnerre Yaounde(5 times); once each for Caiman Douala, Prévoyance Yaounde, Union Douala and Unisport Bafang.
Last Saturday, federation president Samuel Eto’o fils reiterated that his tenure will be devoted to putting the footballer at the center of football matters in the country.
14 qualify for CAF U23 final qualifiers.
The 14 obtained qualification for the third and final rounds following the second leg matches of the second round. The 7 to qualify from the next two games scheduled for March 2023 will join the hosts, Morocco for the 2022 finals scheduled for next June. At the end of that tournament, the first three teams would qualify directly for the 2024 Summer Olympics scheduled for Paris, France.
The second leg matches registered the following results: Niger 1 1 Ivory Coast, Sudan 3 3 Benin, Tanzania 1 3 Nigeria, Eswatini 0 1, Sierra Leone 1 2 Zambia, Togo 2 – 2 South Africa, Congo 2 2 Tunisia, DR Congo 5 4 Algeria, Mozambique 1 4 Ghana, Burkina Faso 3 5 Senegal, Rwanda 1 2 Mali, Madagasca 0 5 Gabon, Angola 2 3 Cameroon. Naturally, the qualified teams got their visas from the aggregate scores.
This is how the fixtures for the last round of the qualifiers scheduled for March 2023 cue up: Niger vs Sudan, Nigeria vs Guinea, Egypt vs Zambia, South Africa vs Congo, DR Congo Ghana, Senegal vs Mali, Gabon vs Cameroon.