Cameroon, I. Coast charity game in limbo

  1. Posted on Sunday 17 May 2009 - 17:56
    Walter
    Image of Walter
    Walter Wilson Nana, AfricaNews reporter in Buea, Cameroon Photo Nana Kofi Acquah (A Cameroonian fan at CAN 2008)
    Plans to organize a fund raising match between the national teams of Ivory Coast and Cameroon have been criticized by the Ivorian Minister of Sports, Dagobert Banzio. He said it is premature to hold the event for the families left behind as a result of the stadium disaster on March 24 in Abidjan.
    Africa Cup of Nations 2008 Final - Egypt- Cameroon 1-0 - Photo Nana Kofi Acquah
    “The idea behind the match is praiseworthy, but we’re still in the process of learning the lessons from the tragedy,” he told the BBC. “I think we have a duty to take the measures recommended [by the inquiries] before taking the risk of organizing such a match.” He said he was worried the possible presence of big stars such as Samuel Eto’o, Didier Drogba, Rigobert Song and Yaya Toure in the same match could provoke similar crowd trouble.

    The event organizers hope to hold the event on 13 June 2009 at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium, where 19 people died in a crush early this year. The disaster happened when fans tried to get into the stadium for a 2010 World Cup qualifier between Ivory Coast and Malawi.

    “It’s clear that when you have the national teams of Ivory Coast and Cameroon at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny stadium, you shouldn’t be surprised to see three times more people than we had last time,” he argued. “If we haven’t learnt the lessons of the tragedy and put the recommendations in practice, I’m worried that we’ll face a difficult situation,” Banzio said.

    He added that it would be best to wait until the results of the current inquiries were known. According to Banzio the judicial inquiry was at an ‘advanced stage’, while the audits of the stadium’s security, the ticketing arrangement and technical issues were yet to start work.

    A further inquiry by football’s world governing body, Fifa, has also been extended for an unspecified period of time.

    Meanwhile, Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, had on May 5, made public a declaration accepting the would-be June 13 goodwill match pitting the Elephants and the Indomitable Lions in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

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