Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football (Caf), has stated that the Africa Cup of Nations, which has been postponed, will take place as scheduled.
Motsepe was speaking as he toured Yaounde’s Olembe Stadium, which will host the tournament’s first encounter on January 9th, with less than three weeks until the tournament begins.
His statements come as suspicion mounts that the finals would be postponed or perhaps cancelled because of the global Covid-19 pandemic’s current concerns.
“I will be in Cameroon on 7 January with my wife and kids to witness this incredible competition,” Motsepe insisted on Monday.
“You can see that there’s a huge commitment and a focus to make sure that there’s good progress.
“We are going to host with the people of Cameroon an exceptional tournament. It will be the most successful Afcon. We are ready to show the world the best of African football and African hospitality.
“This tournament is important for the people of Africa and I’m so proud and so excited with the work done.”
The 59-year-old was taken aback by the ongoing rumours about the 24-team finals.
“We have to believe in our people,” the Caf boss said.
“We have to stop being the ones that lack confidence and are always expressing negative views of our people.
“All over the world there are competitions with challenges but we have to be more optimistic because sometimes we are over critical of ourselves.
“If we’re not going to have confidence in what we do, who’s going to have confidence in us?
“This is the generation where Africans must believe in Africans. We can host a football competition that’s as good as you can see in Europe and the world.”
