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There's a giant question mark looming over the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to take place between Jan. 9 and Feb. 6, with CAF president Patrice Motsepe arriving in the host nation of Cameroon on Monday for critical talks with the government to assess its readiness to host the tournament.
There are questions over the organization of the competition, including incomplete building work, training facilities and insufficient accommodation, with less than three weeks to go, as well as the threat of coronavirus outbreaks and the ongoing Cameroonian Civil War.
Clubs in Europe don't want to send their players and FIFA president Gianni Infantino has also now sided with those who want to postpone the tournament (he wants a full-strength Chelsea and Al Ahly at the Club World Cup). There's also reportedly a split between members of CAF's executive committee over the question with a "small but highly influential minority" favoring the postponement, whereas the majority, and the host nation, refuse to accept another delay.
There's a second meeting scheduled for Wednesday that looks set to provide us with a final answer.
Until then, we can just appreciate Cameroon’s new jerseys for the tournament? It was French manufacturer Le Coq Sportif that originally provided the nation its threads between 1982 and 1987, but the unveiling of Cameroon uniforms became a global event under the direction of PUMA between 1997 and 2018.
Who can forget the sleeveless shirt of 2002 or the "onesie" used during AFCON 2004?
More than 15 years later, Cameroon's one-piece uniform is still ahead of its time.
That legendary unitard featured striking lion claw mark patterns on the side, and it's an effect that Le Coq Sportif has brought back for AFCON 2021, although in a much subtler manner.
There's also flag detail on the left shoulder and "Les Lions Indomptables" ("The Indomitable Lions") on one sleeve.
The 2022 Cameroon home kit. Photo: @lecoqsportif | Twitter
Some beautiful details here.
C’est l’heure de briller sur leur terre pour les Lions Indomptables ! ✨
Découvre le nouveau maillot du Cameroun. @FecafootOfficie
#Cameroun #TousDerrièreLesLions #LeCoqSportif #AllezLesLions pic.twitter.com/7ZKuhqxQNq— le coq sportif (@lecoqsportif) December 14, 2021
Cameroon last won AFCON in 2017 behind the influential play of Christian Bassogog and Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui, but they're currently CAF's seventh-ranked team in the FIFA Rankings, behind Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Nigeria and Egypt.
