CAPE TOWN: Four Cameroon players have tested positive for COVID-19, with the Africa Cup of Nations hosts set to kick off the tournament against Burkina Faso in just over a week's time, the country's football federation said on Friday (Dec 31). Other teams preparing for the finals, which start on Jan 9, also reported positive cases, with seven more in the Cape Verde Island squad and one for Morocco. Cameroon also said leading defender Michael Ngadeu Ngadjui, midfielder Pierre Kunde Malong, winger Christian Bassogog and back-up goalkeeper Jean Efala had all tested positive for the novel coronavirus. On Thursday, the Ivory Coast said players arriving from Europe at their training camp in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, had tested positive and been put in quarantine by local authorities. Algeria earlier this week said forwards Youcef Belaili and defenders Mohamed Amine Tougai and Houcine Benyada had tested positive at their training camp in Qatar.

Source: Ethiopian News December 31, 2021 18:08 UTC