Africa Cup of Nations has reason to be held in Cameroon
The second phase of the coronavirus pandemic is entering the world of sport. The major European leagues are timidly limiting the number of people attending sporting events. England has no plans to suspend its media-rich Christmas matchdays, let alone Boxing Day. In Spain, the autonomous communities are fighting with the government to impose their restrictions and LaLiga has reinforced its protocols. Nothing is as it was because that was a crisis that they do not want to repeat. Countries are relying on vaccines for everything, even though the number of cases of omicron infection is soaring in Europe. For the time being, the public will not leave the stadiums en masse, even if Germany has already emptied them.
The Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Cameroon from 9 January to 6 February 2022, as confirmed by its president Patrice Motsepe in the presence of the newly elected president of the Cameroonian football federation, Samuel Eto'o. An event for the world. An important moment for this sometimes forgotten content.
Motsepe takes a delicate and controversial decision because it goes against the interests of Gianni Infantino who, from FIFA, had asked for the suspension of the tournament due to the omicron variant.
The reality of this whole case is the eternal struggle between European and African football to hold the Africa Cup in the middle of the competitions, although in the middle of the Champions League break. In England and France, the tournament is sweeping their teams with important casualties in teams like Manchester United or Liverpool where they will not have a player like Salah.
But Africa has its own times and its own reality. It represents 17% of the world's population and only 3.5% of reported COVID deaths. There are a number of factors involved in these figures. On the one hand, the age of the population is younger than in continents such as Europe and this reduces contagion and deaths; on the other, the measurement of data may not be as good in comparison with more developed areas; and finally, its response to pandemics is more effective because its public health system has experience in outbreaks or epidemics where it has been able to work well.
All these factors are not valued or analysed in Europe. Teams see it as a risk for their players to go to Cameroon for almost a month because of contagions and logistical problems as well as injuries.
The incidence in Cameroon is barely two confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants at 14 days. In Spain it is around 600; in France and England it exceeds 1,000 and in Germany it is around 700. On the other hand, the vaccination rate in Cameroon barely reaches 3% of the population with a double vaccination schedule out of a population of almost 27 million people. Communications and the arrival of vaccines make the process slow and costly.
The CAF says it will ask spectators to show their vaccination card or a negative PCR to enter matches and has no plans to restrict spectators in stadiums where work has yet to be completed.
Cameroon has every reason to go ahead with the Africa Cup of Nations. COVID does not affect all zones equally and this forces them to make decisions based on their data.
In Spain, Sevilla are the team whose squad will be most depleted with the call-up of En-Nesyri, Bono and Munir. In Mallorca, Baba and Lago Júnior and in Alavés, Loum and Sylla.
