AFCON: Choupo-Moting eyes strong start for Cameroon
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting was 10-years-old when Cameroon won their third Africa Cup of Nations title in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital. That February in 2000, the Indomitable Lions defeated the Super Eagles via penalties as Rigobert Song lifted Africa's biggest prize sky high in front of a deflated host nation.
"It was a big game. I remember when I was small I watched the final with (Samuel) Eto'o on our side and (Austin) Okocha on the other (Nigerian) side, it was a pleasure to see those games. Those were games which motivated me to play for my country and it is a dream now to represent Cameroon," Choupo-Moting told DW in June 2021.
The 32-year-old who was born in Hamburg, Germany, is one of the stars for the Cameroon side that will fight for the African title on home soil this month. Cameroon finished fourth the last time they hosted the championship in 1972. But they have gone on to amass five AFCON titles since then, with a possible sixth in the coming weeks.
"It's an honor to play the Nations Cup at home, it's a special thing for the whole nation. We want to go as far as possible, that's clear," said the Bayern Munich star who missed out on Cameroon's AFCON triumph in Gabon in 2017.
A troubled preparation
Cameroon's preparations for the AFCON have been topsy-turvy. They were scheduled to host the tournament in 2019 but fell short as it was extended to 24 teams from its original 16-team format. It meant the country required additional stadiums to accommodate a bigger event.
CAF, Africa's football governing body, hosted a summer tournament in Egypt that year and rescheduled Cameroon for 2021. The global COVID-19 pandemic led to further postponement by a year, leaving enough time for Cameroon to ensure that its facilities would be delivered, albeit far behind schedule.
The six stadiums that will host the tournament are in Yaounde (Olembe Stadium, 60,000 and Stade Ahmadu Ahidjo, 42,500); Douala (Japoma Stadium, 50,000), Garoua (Roumde Adjia Stadium, 30,000), Bafoussam (Kouekong Stadium, 20,000) and Limbe (Limbe Stadium, 20,000).
Crises in the English-speaking part of Cameroon also created a cloud of uncertainty over the championship. More than 4000 people have been killed by security forces and armed militia since agitations began for a separatist country of Ambazonia in the Northwest and Southwest Regions. Afcon host city Limbe resides in the latter.
There has also been agitation by opposition groups against President Paul Biya's 40-year rule. In December, 47 activists of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC) were jailed by a military court for "rebellion” against the state. Read More…
