Cameroon national football team on Tuesday, March 9, ended their training camp following the cancellation of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations by the Confederation of African Football.
The CAF Emergency Committee met in Rabat yesterday where it was decided that the 2021 edition of the U-17 AFCON would not be held due to a resurgence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco and beyond.
Cameroon team had made two attempts to enter Morocco but they were denied visas by the North African country after it placed a ban on travel to and from Central African countries.
This is due to fears of the Covid-19 variant strain that has hit populations across Africa during a second wave of infection after the recent festive period.
A statement posted on the Cameroon Football Federation social media pages confirmed the Young Indomitable Lions have moved out of training camp.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The Under-17 Lions have returned home permanently from this Tuesday after CAF announced cancellation of the 2021 Under-17 AFCON tournament in Morocco,”[/perfectpullquote]
reads the statement.
Cameroon were primed to meet South Africa, Mali and Senegal in Group C of the tournament, which was due to take place between March 13 and March 31.
The news of the tournament cancellation come as a major disappointment to Africa’s young stars, for whom the U-17 AFCON can represent critical launch pads in their nascent careers.
Several teams had arrived in Morocco to prepare including Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia Senegal and Ivory Coast.
CAF has been experiencing challenges in organizing international matches in Morocco due to COVID-19-related issues which resulted in the matches being hosted outside the country.
