The delayed Cameroon 2021 has already hit a unique point ahead of the kick-off this Sunday. For the first time since 1988, the Africa Cup of Nations is holding without the national team of the CAF president featuring.

Sudan, Nigeria’s Group D opponents,  beat South Africa 2-0 last year March to pick the second ticket of their Group C qualifiers. It is the second time they will qualify since a dramatic injury-time induced elimination of Nigeria for the 2012 edition.

Twelve years ago, Sudan were already eliminated on the field after losing their last qualifiers to Ghana at home.

But mother luck ran their way as Nigeria, wrongly thinking they needed a two-goal advantage win over visiting Guinea had their initial 2-1 lead cancelled following a 96^th minute injury time equalizer by Guinea in the very last match the Super Eagles has since played in Abuja.

Thus, an already eliminated Sudan came in as one of the best runners-up in the groups and Nigeria got eliminated.

Sudan by their win on last year have also eliminated South Africa who finished third on the group log behind Ghana and Sudan.

Thus, CAF President, Patrice Mostsepe will be presiding over his first AFCON but without his own national team.

The last time that happened was in Morocco 1988 when acting CAF president, Abdel Halim Muhammad of Sudan’s team did not qualify.

Abdel Halim Muhammad was acting for the late CAF president, Yidnekatchew Tessema of Ethiopia who died in the previous year.

Successor to Abdel Halim Muhammad, Issa Hayatou of Cameroon had his team featuring throughout his long tenure.

Even one-term president, Ahmad of Madagascar had his team as debutants at the 2019 edition in Egypt.

mbiana Samira and her sisters spent hours tracking down tickets for the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon’s capital, as growing excitement ahead of the continental competition meant many vendors had run out.

The three women cheered when they finally secured tickets at a kiosk in Yaounde’s outer suburbs on Friday, guaranteeing them seats for Sunday’s clash between Burkina Faso and first-time hosts Cameroon.

“Since this morning we’ve gone to all the booths,” the 21-year-old student said with relief, clutching her ticket.

Cameroon has had an anxious run-up to the tournament with concerns raised over incomplete building work, security issues in some regions and the threat of coronavirus outbreaks as large number of players and staff descend on the under-resourced country. 

All spectators will need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter stadium – an incentive for some soccer fans, including Samira and her family, to get the jab in recent days.

The flag-decked streets of Yaounde were buzzing with excitement on the Friday before kick-off, as an open-top bus toured the centre with Cameroonian supporters dancing and tooting vuvuzelas.

“We are very proud to have organised this, you see we are in the streets to make the streets and the city beautiful,” said Ambassa Maurice, who was fixing flags of the 24 participating teams to lamp posts.

Traditionally one of Africa’s strongest soccer nations, Cameroon are this time viewed as more of an outside bet for a title they have won on five occasions, most recently in 2017.

At Yaounde’s brand new 60,000-capacity Olembe stadium, workers made checks ahead of Sunday’s game.

“We are very happy to welcome so many foreigners in our country, to have jewels such as our stadium here,” said its security officer Josue Sefty. “We are happy to host this event, it’s a great thing for us.”

The 33^rd edition of Africa’s premier sports competition kicks off this Sunday afternoon. Below are some points of interests for a global audience.

• This is the second time that Cameroon will be hosting the competition as the 1972 edition was in that country.
• It at the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon that a Nigerian first became an executive committee member of CAF when Oyo Orok Oyo won a seat at the General Assembly.
• Both Cameroon and Burkina Faso playing the opening match have also played the final match in the past. Cameroon played the final matches in 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2008 and 2017. Burkina Faso were losing finalists to Nigeria in 2013.

●     This will be Cameroon and Burkina Faso’s third encounter in the Africa Cup of Nations. Both previous meetings came in the group phase: Cameroon won 1-0 in the 1998 before a 1-1 draw in 2017.

●         Cameroon are making their 20th appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations, a tally only bettered by Egypt (25), Cote d’Ivoire (24) and Ghana (23). Egypt (7) are the only team to have won the tournament on more occasions than The Indomitable Lions (5).

Cameroon are hosting the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time, 50 years after it was first held in the country, in 1972 – they finished third. Egypt are the last team to win the AFCON as hosts, it was in 2006.

●         This is Burkina Faso’s 12th appearance in the Africa Cup of Nations. In their previous 11 participations, they have either been eliminated in the group stages (8 times) or at least reached the semi-finals (3 times), including the final in 2013 (0-1 v Nigeria).

●         Cameroon striker Vincent Aboubakar has scored only one goal in his eight AFCON appearances (18 shots), although that was the winning goal in the 2017 final against Egypt (2-1).

For the first time in the history of the Africa Cup of Nations, all 52 matches of the competition will use Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in Cameroon starting on Sunday.

The competition will kick-off with hosts Cameroon playing Burkina Faso at 17h00 local time (16h00 GMT) at Olembe Stadium in Yaounde, Cameroon. The final match will be played on 06 February 2022 at the same venue.

Previously, CAF has used VAR starting from the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, Egypt 2019. However, with CAF advancing with plans not only to improve the image of refereeing but also produce world class match officials in Africa, the implementation of VAR in all 52 matches in Cameroon is a step in the right direction.

Alist of 63 top match officials including women top referees Salima Mukasanga (Rwanda), Carine Atemzabong (Cameroon), Fatiha Jermoumi (Morocco) and Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) will officiate the Africa Cup of Nations, Cameroon 2021 matches.

The list consists of 24 referees, 31 assistant referees and eight video assistant referees from 36 countries. The roster includes two referees from the CONCACAF as part of our inter-confederation skills exchange program

Remo Stars are hoping to extend their unbeaten streak in the ongoing Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) as they play hosts to Plateau United.

The tie between the Sky Blue Stars and the Peace Boys is scheduled to take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State by 4pm.

While the home side with eight points currently occupy first position in the standings, Plateau United are placed in eighth spot with six points after just two wins from their last four fixtures.

Remo Stars picked another point on the road after their first maximum points in Lagos in the first game of the NPFL season with Samuel Anakwe getting his second goal of the season against Dakkada FC after Muritala Lawal had earlier put the host on front in the 12th minute in Uyo.

Plateau United on the other hand, got an emphatic 3-0 victory over Heartland FC at the New Jos Stadium with goals from Jesse Akila, Chimezie Izuchukwu and Mohammed Zuikifilu.

The host will be hopeful that sensational Andy Okpe get back his goalscoring form and to see Ifeanyi Ojukwu and Abdullahi Oyedele fit to compete against the Peace Boys on Sunday.

The Sky Blue Stars have a host of players to call upon if the injured players aren’t back before Sunday with the likes of Ibrahim Yusuf, Dada Oladimeji and Edugbeke Andrew will be looking to grab their chances in weekend’s encounter against Plateau United if called upon by the gaffer.

Remo Stars will have to be wary of the likes of Elisha Golbe and Daniel Itodo who were part of the players that grabbed the maximum victory against Remo Stars in Matchday One of the NPFL played in 2017 at the Gateway International Stadium, Sagamu.

Other players that need to be looked at going into that game against Plateau United are Ruben Bala, Charles Henlong and Jimmy Ambrose who have enough experience in the top tier of Nigeria Football.

Both sides have met only twice and that was in 2017 when Kim John and Elisha Golbe goals ensured they got the maximum points against the Sky Blue Stars, Victor Mbaoma scored his first ever NPFL goal for the host in the 42nd minute but it wasn’t enough for them to pick a point.

The reverse fixture saw Hamzat Owolabi got the only goal of the game after he connected a long throw from Daniel Itodo to give Plateau United a hundred percent victory over the Sky Blue Stars in Jos.

The Remo Stars Stadium is a fortress for the Sky Blue Stars since they started playing active football on that pitch, they have not conceded any goal, and they hope to maintain that record.

A win for the Remo Stars will help keep the momentum of keeping their NPFL status intact and also maintain a record of not losing a game at home in presence of their supporters.

The Africa Cup of Nations should “100% be more respected”, says Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong.

The Watford centre-back said seeing Premier League players being asked if they would honour their national call-ups had been “difficult”.

Troost-Ekong is set to lead Nigeria out against seven-time champions and 2017 finalists Egypt on Tuesday in his first major tournament as captain.

“If it was the Euros or any other tournament, I don’t think there would be any kind of conversation like this, “That would be ludicrous.”

Former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira and former Newcastle and Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong have also called for the tournament to be given more respect.

Troost-Ekong, 28, is one of five Premier League players representing Nigeria in Cameroon.

Only four English top-flight teams – Leeds United, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Tottenham – have no players at the tournament.

Players were allowed to play for their clubs until 3 January, after a Fifa rule stating clubs must release them by 27 December was changed “in the spirit of goodwill and solidarity”.

“I can understand it to an extent because we are leaving during the season, which is probably different to other major tournaments that are happening. But people already knew that it was going to be in January, for a long time,” Troost-Ekong said.

“Unfortunately, I think quite a lot has been taken away from the tournament and the excitement that should have been there because of those questions.”

Troost-Ekong, who has been at Watford since September 2020, said he hoped the Africa Cup of Nations would get the coverage it deserves this year and shed light on the quality of the tournament.

“There’s sometimes a misunderstanding of what kind of tournament it is,” he said.

“It’s on the same level as a World Cup or the Euros or Copa America. A lot of the exciting players in the Premier League are African. To see them all together defending their countries will be an exciting tournament, whatever people say.”

Troost-Ekong will come up against Liverpool striker and Egypt captain Mohamed Salah in Nigeria’s opener.

Salah has scored 23 goals this season, averaging almost a goal a game.

“I hope he stays as far away from us and our goal as possible,” said Troost-Ekong. “This season he’s obviously been on fire and we all know how good he is, but at the same time I’m very confident in our team.”

‘There’s a brotherhood in the team’

Troost-Ekong said he had sensed a good balance in a team of players who are relaxed yet focused.

“Everyone is willing to go the extra mile, which I think is amazing,” he said. “We understand the challenges that are in front of us, but we all try to support each other.

“And when it’s time to crack a joke, we know when to do that as well. There’s a brotherhood in the team. Every day is exciting. It feels like one big family.

“It’s not just about us; it’s about the whole of Nigeria. We know there’s 200 million people at home that will want us to give our heart and soul when we play. Whenever we play, everything stops in Nigeria for 90 minutes. And everybody watches the game.

“It’s good pressure and we use that to motivate us. There’s that moment when you’re walking out and you understand the magnitude of being able to wear the shirt. That’s something really special.”

Troost-Ekong said the team would be disappointed with anything less than reaching the final.

“We’re not one of the favourites, which I think could be a good position for us to be in,” he said.

‘It was always my plan to play for Nigeria’

Troost-Ekong grew up in the Netherlands and is of mixed Dutch-Nigerian heritage.

He moved to London with his family when he was 12, playing in the youth systems of Fulham and Tottenham and representing the Netherlands at under-19 and under-20 level.

First called up by Nigeria in 2015, he helped them win a bronze medal at the Rio Olympics and has earned more than 40 caps.

“It was always part of my plan to play for Nigeria,” said Troost-Ekong.

“My dad has always lived in Lagos so we spent a lot of holidays in Nigeria. I knew the culture, the food, the people.

“It’s something that I’m really proud of – that it wasn’t just for footballing reasons that I came to Nigeria for the first time. It was something that was already part of me.”

Troost-Ekong hopes he can be “one of the pioneers” for other mixed-heritage players.

“It’s going to become very normal all over the world as you see more, and it’s exciting to see. Hopefully this will open up some doors for other players.

“My kids are a quarter Nigerian so they might end up playing for Nigeria with blonde hair and blue eyes!”

Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has flown to England for a crisis meeting with the Manchester United forward as the 36-year-old considers his future at the club.

Borussia Dortmund and Norway striker Erling Braut Haaland believes that Manchester City will try to sign him in the summer transfer window after Manchester United pulled out of the race to recruit the 21-year-old.

Manchester United and Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes, 27, will become Barcelona‘s top target if they fail to sign Haaland in the summer. Spanish striker Alvaro Morata is set to cut short his loan deal with Juventus so he can join Barcelona, but manager Massimiliano. Allegri is refusing to let the 29-year-old go before he signs a replacement.

Lazio are interested in Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga but the 27-year-old Spaniard’s £170,000-a-week wages are a stumbling block.

Marseille defender Boubacar Kamara wants a £150,000-a-week deal from his next club after West Ham joined Newcastle in the fight to sign the 22-year-old Frenchman.

Upsets, chaos and drama

How FA Cup 3rd Round Delivered Football Feast

Barcelona will target Wolves winger Adama Traore, 25, if French forward Ousmane Dembele, 24, decides against renewing his contract with the La Liga side, providing competition for Tottenham in their attempts to sign the Spaniard. Atletico Madrid are interested in a loan deal for Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares with a view to a permanent deal for the 30-year-old Portuguese in the summer.

Fiorentina and Serbia’s highly-rated striker Dusan Vlahovic, 21, is prepared to wait until the summer to resolve his future and will not be rushed into a January move. Arsenal are chasing the Serb, but Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins, 26, may be better suited to the Gunners’ attack.

Manchester United and Ivory Coast defender Eric Bailly, 27, is a possible target for AC Milan as they look to find a replacement for injured Denmark centre-back Simon Kjaer, 32.

Birmingham City are closing in on a loan deal for Manchester United’s Ivorian forward Amad Diallo, 19.

Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and West Ham are all interested in signing 21-year-old Senegalese forward Bamba Dieng from Marseille

Villa are interested in Brighton and Mali midfielder Yves Bissouma, but manager Graham Potter says the Seagulls are not selling the 25-year-old

)Barcelona vice president Rafa Yuste says more players need to be sold before Spanish striker Ferran Torres, 21, can actually be registered at the Camp Nou after his move from Manchester City.

Barca will meet with their United States full-back Sergino Dest as Chelsea seek to sign the 21-year-old as injury cover for Ben Chilwell and Reece James.

Countries suffering Covid outbreaks will have to play their Africa Cup of Nations matches even if they have only 11 players available.

New guidelines from the Confederation of African Football (Caf) state matches will still go ahead even if none of the 11 players is a goalkeeper.

Any nation unable to fulfil a fixture will forfeit the game 2-0.

The guidance has been issued after several nations reported Covid cases before the tournament starts on Sunday.

Caf said that in “exceptional cases” the tournament’s organising committee “will take the appropriate decision”.

On Friday Egypt delayed their departure for the tournament, which is taking place in Cameroon, and were forced to cancel training after coronavirus cases were reported in their camp.

The Pharaohs, who have won the competition a record seven times, eventually flew to Cameroon on Saturday.

Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was among two players to test positive in the Gabon squad on Thursday.

Guinea were forced to leave behind defender Mikael Dyrestam, midfielder Morlaye Sylla and striker Seydouba Soumah at their training base in Rwanda.

Cape Verde and debutants Gambia were hit by several positive tests last week, while Tunisia have also reported cases from their pre-tournament camp.

The Nations Cup starts on Sunday and Egypt will face Nigeria in their first Group D match on Tuesday (16:00 GMT) – a game which will be televised by the BBC in the UK.

World number one Ashleigh Barty continued her impressive form before the Australian Open with a straight-set win against Elena Rybakina in the Adelaide International final.

Playing her first tournament since September’s US Open, the Australian won the final 6-3 6-2.

Barty will now play at the Sydney Tennis Classic before the Grand Slam begins on 17 January.

Britain’s Emma Raducanu will compete at the same tournament.

After Iga Swiatek withdrew because of a rib injury, US Open champion Raducanu, ranked 19th in the world, will face world number 14 Rybakina in the first round.

Bartyended her 2021 season early because of coronavirus quarantine rules but looked sharp in her first final of 2022.

After coming from 15-40 down to hold serve at 3-3, the 25-year-old won seven games in a row and wrapped up victory in 64 minutes.

The magic of the FA Cup was well and truly alive on Saturday as the third round delivered in dramatic fashion.

Cambridge United grabbed the headlines as their dreams of creating a “fairytale” came true, Joe Ironside mirroring his hero Alan Shearer by scoring the winner against Newcastle at St James’ Park.

There was a “special moment” at Kidderminster Harriers as the lowest-ranked team in the competition defied a gap of four divisions to beat Championship opponents Reading, and the lights went out – literally – at the King Power as holders Leicester City marched on to the next round

Here are all the best bits from a memorable day of FA Cup third-round action.

It was no ‘worldie’ but Shearer would be proud…

League One Cambridge United defied the odds to stun Newcastle, sparking jubilant scenes at full time from the visitors.

Former England international Fara Williams said on Final Score “it has to be the upset of the round” and goalscorer Joe Ironside agreed.

“It’s stuff I dreamed of,” he told BBC Sport. “Alan Shearer was my hero, I grew up idolising him – now I have scored the winner at St James’ Park!”

Ironside sealed the win with a close-range finish in the second half and he said it did not matter it was not a ‘worldie’. But goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov certainly pulled it out of the bag late on as he produced several remarkable saves to deny Newcastle.

Cambridge manager Mark Bonner said he and his players were living “moments we will never forget”.

Could anything top that?

Kidderminster Harriers – the lowest-ranked side left in the FA Cup – did their best to do so.

A late winner from Amari Morgan-Smith saw the sixth-tier side beat Championship club Reading – a team 79 places above them in the pyramid.

Former Scotland defender Alan Hutton told BBC Radio 5 Live: “This is what the FA Cup is all about – special moments. We have just witnessed one here. To put on a display like that… Kidderminster Harriers have been absolutely unbelievable.”

Meanwhile, teenager Joe Grey was the hero as League Two Hartlepool came from a goal down to stun Championship side Blackpool.

And a wonderful goal by debutant Bali Mumba helped Peterborough avoid a potential upset against Bristol Rovers.

AFC Wimbledon completed, Man Utd next?

Kidderminster Harriers were not the only non-league side in action.

Boreham Wood are eyeing a money-spinning draw after they reached the fourth round for the first time in their history.

They beat League One AFC Wimbledon 2-0 with goals from Tyrone Marsh and Adrian Clifton and manager Luke Garrard made it clear who he wants to face next.

“The £82,000 reward to win [the tie] is great and it may be the big one going away to a Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United or Liverpool in the next round,” he said.

It was a day to remember for Garrard, who is (or at least was) a popular figure with Wimbledon’s fans, having made over 100 appearances for the club.

Elsewhere, fellow National League side Yeovil Town were beaten 3-1 by Bournemouth, while European champions Chelsea outclassed Chesterfield.

A nine-goal thriller & a nervy shootout

It would not be an FA Cup third-round day without loads of goals.

And at Oakwell, Championship strugglers Barnsley and Barrow simply could not stop scoring.

Barnsley eventually won 5-4 after extra time in a thrilling encounter which saw Barrow’s Tom Beadling sent off, three goals scored in the last seven minutes of normal time and nine different players on the scoresheet.

League Two Barrow ended up playing for more than 80 of the 120 minutes with 10 men before Carlton Morris eventually fired in the winner for Barnsley in extra time.

Elsewhere, Leicester put four past Watford five goals werescored at Mansfield and Wigan Queens Park Rangers won 8-7 on penalties against Rotherham United, Everton came from behind to win 3-2 in extra time against Hull City and Chelsea trashed Chesterfield 5-1.

‘We’re Leicester City, we can play in the dark’

FA Cup holders Leicester City may have had a depleted squad but they kept their dreams alive with a comfortable 4-1 win over fellow Premier League side Watford.

It was largely plain sailing but an issue with the lights at King Power Stadium meant play was paused for almost six minutes as the electricians searched for the problem.

Fans did not miss an opportunity to have some fun, instead pulling out their phones to use as torches and chanting “we’re Leicester City, we can play in the dark”.

When the game eventually did get back under way, the home fans were treated to four goals from Leicester and manager Brendan Rodgers said he was “thrilled” with the result.