Here is a Press Statement made by the Minister of Communications; Issa Tchiroma Bakary, as regards the decision of CAF to withdraw AFCON 2019 hosting rights from Cameroon.
The Government of the Republic of Cameroon has taken note, with consternation, of the decision of the CAF Executive Committee meeting in Accra on November 30, 2018, to withdraw from Cameroon the organization of CAN 2019.
This decision, surprising in many ways, does no justice to the colossal investments made by our country, which today result in beautiful modern infrastructure visible to all, and to the determined commitment of the Head of State and to the Cameroonian people who made the necessary efforts to host in 2019, a glamorous celebration of African football.
It is clear that from the onset of the treatment of this file, our country was treated in ways that arise suspicion.
Faced with this flagrant injustice, the Government of the Republic asks the Cameroonian people to keep all it’s serenity and not give in to the temptation of sterile controversies.
Cameroon was not unworthy to host. She will prove it to the world by pursuing with the same determination, the construction of these beautiful infrastructures that belong to the Cameroonian people and completing them at a good date, as the Head of State committed to.
Nevertheless, it should be stressed that African football will not be able to reach the level of the more advanced continents, without respect for a certain ethic.
Our country, which has written some of the most beautiful pages of African football, will continue to work tirelessly, together with other African countries and international football bodies, to develop football in our beloved continent.
Minister of Communication
Issa Tchiroma