AFCON
Karma Caning Cameroon –
BY EMEKA OBASI
Of the three times Cameroon defeated Nigeria to lift the African Nations Cup trophy, two will fail today’s VAR test. Only their first cup victory makes sense, the others were fraudulently assisted by the referee.
Ever since the Indomitable Lions stole the cup in Lagos 24 years ago, they have been unable to defeat the Super Eagles in any African Nations Cup duel. Their 2-0 loss on Saturday January 27, should send them to their creator asking for forgiveness of sins committed by Idrissa Sarr and Mourad Daami.
On March 18, 1984 Cameroon beat Nigeria 3-1 in the grande finale at the Felix Houphouet – Boigny Stadium, Abidjan. Muda Lawal scored first, in the 10th minute. Rene N’Djeya equalised in the 32nd. Theophile Abega increased the tally late in the second half. Ernest Ebongue made it three six minutes to time.
Nearly 40 years later, both teams met again. Nigeria struck nearly at the time Muda got the opener in 1984. Scorer, Semi Ajayi, is Yoruba, like Muda. VAR canceled the goal. The Eagles scored two more goals to win 2-0. It was at the same stadium.
And the match referees were North Africans. In 1984, a Tunisian was in charge. In 2024, the man at the centre was a Moroccan. Ali Bennaceur, the Tunisian, later became infamous for Diego Maradona’s hand of God goal in 1986.
Issa Hayatou, a Cameroonian, emerged as CAF President in 1988. One of his first assignments was to watch the Maroc 1988 Afcon grand finale between the Indomitable Lions and Eagles. Mauritanian referee, Idrissa Sarr, was in charge.
A beautiful goal by Henry Nwosu was ruled offside. Then a penalty was dubiously given to Cameroon for Emmanuel Kunde to convert. If there was VAR in 1988, the Super Eagles could have won the cup. Sarr was out to impress Hayatou.
In 2021, Sarr told CAF Online : ” In our days, there were less monitoring and supervision and the referees were almost left to themselves”. He was rewarded with appearance in many championships and encouraged his son, Babacar, to join in 2016.
Sarr’s bad record continued to spread. Mariem Chedad was playing soccer, running marathon like Hayatou and a martial artist until Sarr lured her into refereeing. She was one of the Assistant Referees in a FIFA Under 17 qualifying match on June 24, 2022.
Ghana had beaten Morocco in the Accra first leg. The second leg in Rabat ended 2-0 in favour of the hosts. The visitors lost 4-2, during penalty shoot out. Ghana lodged a strong protest against the Mauritanian match officials.
In 2000, it was Tunisian referee, Mourad Daami that gifted Cameroon the cup, in Lagos. After a 2-2 draw at full and extra time, penalty kicks followed. Victor Ikpeba’s crossed the line but Daami failed to record it. That was how Nigeria lost again.
Karma did not spare the Tunisian. Later in the year, CAF banned him for 12 months for trying to influence South African referee, Robbie Williams. It was in the Accra final leg of the CAF Champions League between Hearts of Oak and Esperance.
Karma has continued to deal with the Indomitable Lions since their undeserved victory in Lagos, 24 years ago. Eagles beat them at Tunisia 2004, scattered them at Egypt 2019 and bullied them at Cote d’Ivoire 2024.
Many Nigerian laughed as Milla, Samuel Eto’o and Rigobert Song cried after the 2-0 outcome in Abidjan. Old fox, Milla, caused the controversial penalty in 1988. Eto’o is his country’s football federation ( FECAFOOT) boss and scored in Lagos in 2000.
Coach Song captained the Lions to tainted cup victory in Eko. In Abidjan, Jay Jay Okocha whose goal in 2000 made it 2-2 was having fun as Nigerians sang a new song – ‘ as e dey sweet us, e go dey pain them’. Rigobert is singing songs of sorrow.
Finidi George is part of the Super Eagles’ technical crew. He played against the Indomitable Lions. Another squad member, Garba Lawal is also in Abidjan, like Nwankwo Kanu who missed a penalty. Segun Odegbami’s younger brother, Wole, was in the team that Sarr robbed in 1988.
Ademola Lookman, the man whose brace bruised Cameroon was just three in 2000. In January 2023, he scored twice, three times, for Atalanta. And this young man rejected Nigeria three times before switching nationality in 2022.
Lookman’s goals mean Milla and Eto’o are looking at Abidjan through the window of the flight taking them back to Yaounde. The Super Eagles are also gaining altitude, flying higher and singing more songs of triumph. Rigobert is in the ring, encircled by wounded lions from a diminished nation.
The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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