The world's two biggest leagues in England and Spain — the Premier League and La Liga — have matches on Jan. 2 and continue throughout the African Cup. Despite his optimism, it's likely that African soccer will settle for a tournament that goes off without any serious problems. Cameroon was initially due to host the 2019 African Cup but was stripped of that tournament because of problems with its preparations and given a second chance in 2021. “It would be unfortunate for the organizing committee, for CAF and for Cameroon,” CAF secretary general Véron Mosengo-Omba wrote in a letter to Cameroon's organizing committee. Last month, an explosion at a university campus injured 13 students about a mile from an official African Cup training ground.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 25, 2021 10:54 UTC