Stadiums

DOUALA - Largely empty stadiums could become a feature of this month's Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off on Sunday, due mainly to Cameroon's paltry COVID-19 vaccination rate.

The host nation last month made full vaccination and a negative coronavirus test compulsory for spectators at Africa's premier soccer tournament.

With skepticism about the vaccines' safety and importance widespread, the country's inoculation levels are extremely low — though the lure of live soccer has convinced some fans to set their misgivings aside.

LIMBE, Cameroon - Droves of armored vehicles are patrolling the streets of Limbe in Cameroon's conflict-torn South West Region ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer finals starting on Jan. 9 that separatist militants have vowed to disrupt.

Cameroon is hosting the tournament in six cities, but security is potentially most at threat in Limbe, a city on the tropical Atlantic coast whose surrounding region has been rocked by armed attacks since war broke out in 2017.

For the first time ever, Barcelona Femeni is set to host a match at the Camp Nou with fans in attendance, and what an event it'll be: the return leg of the club's UEFA Women's Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid on Wednesday, March 30.

If recent results are any indictor, it'll be a party atmosphere inside the ground following the first leg in Madrid on March 22. 

PARIS — The French Cup last 64 game between Paris FC and Olympique Lyonnais was abandoned following crowd trouble on Friday, a stadium announcer said as violence continued to hit French football.

Supporters appeared to be fighting each other and some of them went onto the Charlety stadium's pitch and threw flares at halftime with the game tied at 1-1.

Portland head coach Giovanni Savarese said he expects the raucous Timbers fanbase to give his team a major boost when they take on visiting New York City FC in the MLS Cup Final on Saturday.

The team's mascot, the chainsaw-wielding 'Timber Joey,' slices a piece off of a giant tree every time Portland scores, and Savarese said he expects his side to cut NYCFC down too.

"I believe so, 100 percent," he told reporters when asked if his team would claim the franchise's second Cup at Providence Park.

BERLIN — Bundesliga matches can only have an attendance of up to 50% and up to a maximum of 15,000 spectators after the German government on Thursday reintroduced restrictions for sports events amid rising cases of COVID-19 infections.

Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz agreed with the leaders of Germany's 16 states on a number of measures, including the reduction of fans in outdoor and indoor sports events.