A photo of the Africa Cup of Nations. (AP photo)
Concerns over the condition of the pitch in Douala will move a quarter-final and a semi-final to Yaounde on 2 February
- AFP yaounde
- Last Update:27 Jan 2022, 00:13 IST
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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Wednesday that two Africa Cup of Nations matches will be moved from the Japoma Stadium in Douala to the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé.
Two CAF officials told AFP under the guise of anonymity that a quarter-final and a February 2 semi-final would be moved to the Cameroonian capital due to concerns over the condition of the pitch in Douala.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe said on Tuesday that the quarter-finals, to be played at the Olembe Stadium in Yaoundé, would be changed to the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, which killed eight people.
The decision to move that match away from the 60,000-seat Olembe Stadium was confirmed on Wednesday when Motsepe hosted a meeting with tournament organizers.
“The next match that was scheduled for Olembe Stadium will not take place until the CAF and the local organizing committee have received the full report of the Inquiry Committee (into the Olembe incident), indicating the circumstances and events that took place. Spectators at Olembe Stadium,” the CAF said in a statement.
The second semi-final, scheduled to be played on 3 February, is currently to be played at the Olembe Stadium.
“The CAF AFCON Organizing Committee also needs assurances and guarantees that appropriate and adequate interventions and measures have been implemented to ensure that a similar incident does not occur,” the statement said.
Crowds at all venues were restricted to 60 percent of capacity for the tournament due to the pandemic, but the cap was raised to 80 percent when Cameroon played.
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