By Basil K Mbuye
The African football confederation, CAF, has put the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, in a tight position after the continental body’s decision to all members to present restart or cancel plans for their domestic leagues latest May 5.
FECAFOOT just like other member federations in CAF will have to determine the future of their leagues latest on May 5 deadline.
It will be a tough decision for FECAFOOT to make considering the fact that the country’s coronavirus situation keeps getting worst as the days go by.
CAF in the letter also wants to know if the FECAFOOT will be cancelling the season or they are willing to continue. FECAFOOT had earlier on suspended her leagues in the country as a result of the pandemic.
With signs of better days are head not certain as of now, one wonders what will be the decision of the country’s football leagues.
Also, with the government decision of social distancing and also measures like the prohibition of not more than 50 persons in an area, the future of the country’s leagues is blake.
As uncertainty hovers around the future of the 2019-20 campaign the country’s football body has just a few days to make a decisive decision.
Also, CAF requested the 54 member federations to make a decision concerning the teams they will submit to partake in next season’s CAF inter-club competitions.
CAF’s letter reads: “With regards to the present circumstances, we wish to know the actual situation of your various league’s/Cups (Classification table, and the number of matches left), and a strategy that you are intending to apply so as to finalize the competitions or cancel them.
“In view of the current circumstances, we would like to inquire about the current situation of your leagues and national cup, as well as the strategies you intend to apply to finalize those competitions be it through completion or annulment
“CAF is monitoring the situation with the parties concerned, at the end of which we will determine a date for a restart of our interclub competitions, and also to help us determine in which possible measures we can engage teams for the next season.”
The league ended in Cameroon with close to six days of play remaining in the Elite 1 championship and a few days in the Elite 2 and Women’s Football League.
However, the biggest challenge is the Cup of Cameroon which still had the representatives from some Regional Leagues to be decided. Should the league restart, Cameroon will have to concentrate more on the Cup to get their representative for the CAF Confederation Cup.
The Elite one championship will also have to be completed to get the country’s representatives for the CAF Champions League.
Also, they will have to decide of cancellation of the season will mean they crown PWD of Bamenda as this campaigns champions or not.
Observers are also wondering if should the FECAFOOT decides to restart the league, will the government allow them to do so? What becomes of the fate of clubs that are in positions of promotions and what of those in relegation positions who had hopes of coming out from it? These and others are some of a million-dollar questions observers are asking.
However, leagues in Europe in countries like France, Holland and Belgium have all been cancelled.
