January 26, (THEWILL) – The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Dr Patrice Motsepe has sent his profound condolences to the families of the eight fans who died at Olembe Stadium on Monday night during the TotalEnergies 2021 Africa Cup of Nations match between hosts Cameroon and Comoros.
Motsepe also stated that he will recommend that the AFCON Organising Committee, which meets tomorrow, transfer the next match from Olembe Stadium to Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium, awaiting the full findings of an Investigation Committee composed of CAF and Local Organising Committee members.
“We are saddened when there is loss of life and all of us should put aside the legal issues and take responsibility,” Motsepe said.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends. The CAF family is deeply hurt. We would like to convey our deepest condolences to the families, friends and relatives of the people who lost their lives yesterday.
“We have a duty to find out exactly what happened and more importantly to put in appropriate measures to ensure that what happened never happens again. When people lose their lives, we all should be angry. We have to demand explanations and guarantees that it will never happen again.”
Earlier on Tuesday, the CAF President visited the injured in Yaoundé hospitals as he said: “This morning I was at the hospital and visited the injured people.
“At this moment our greatest attention is on the people who have suffered. I wanted to visit the injured spectators last night, but was advised to allow the doctor and the medical staff to focus on the injured spectators. I want to reaffirm that we are very sorry, and we will assist the injured and the families of those who lost their lives in whichever manner possible.”
He also promised that CAF will contact the relatives of all the eight fans who died in the last few days.
To honour the memories of the eight, a moment of silence was observed during today’s round of 16 AFCON matches. On Wednesday, the AFCON Organising Committee will meet to discuss the proposed fixture calendar for the upcoming matches.
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
