"(Business in Cameroon) - AfCON 2019, is tomorrow already; you have a rendez-vous with sporting Africa right here in Cameroon. And Cameroon will be ready, I give my word". So said President Paul Biya, on 10 August 2017, on the occasion of the reception at the Unity Palace of 192 Cameroonian medal winners in international competitions. 

Paul Biya's announcement sounded like an answer to the recent declarations of Ahmad Ahmad, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), during a visit to Burkina. The president of CAF denigrated Cameroon's capability to organise the African Cup of Nations football tournament in June 2019 by declaring: "as things stand, no site in Cameroon is in a position to welcome the African Cup of Nations (AfCON)".

On 7 August already, Tombi à Roko, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (FECAFOOT) said he was highly preoccupied by the fact that these statements had been made even before the first inspection mission by CAF, scheduled from 20 to 28 August 2017, had made the trip to Cameroon. "We have the right to ask ourselves the point of this inspection visit since the results seem to have already been decided at the very highest level in CAF", declared Tombi à Roko.

S.A