BEVERLY HILLS, January 16, (THEWILL) – On Saturday, January 16, the sixth edition of the TOTAL Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) kicked -off in the Cameroonian capital of Yaounde with a stunningly beautiful and colourful opening ceremony. Dancers attired in the national colours of Cameroon performed in a huge cultural display to mark the start of the competition, holding for the first time in the Central African country.
It was an inauguration of the competition created strictly for home-based players and in attendance were the Cameroonian Prime Minister Joseph Ngute, CAF interim President, Constant Omari, his FIFA counterpart, Gianni Infantino, and former CAF leader Issa Hayatou, who is now honorary President of CAF.
The occasion was the first time the newly-installed honorary president was at a continental match since after his lengthy spell as Africa’s football chief ended in 2017.
Performances at the ceremony in the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium were led by the Cameroon National Ballet which thrilled spectators with an impressive 30-minute show flavoured with local tradition and cultural display of mesmerising quality.
The vivid entertaining presentation included dancers thumping the floor in various costumes of the country amid huge fireworks display on a pitch that was decked out in a massive colourful African cloth.
Added to these was a thrilling performance by MTV award winning rapper Stanley Enow to the clear excitement of the socially-distanced, mask-wearing fans in the main bowl of the stadium. The official song of the tournament “We are all champions” was rendered beautifully by singer Jane Mary Ihims.
All these exciting performances paved the way for fans to welcome the teams billed for the opening match of the tournament: Cameroon and Zimbabwe from Group A. They played a captivating match of football and capitalising on home advantage, the hosts won by a lone 72nd minute Salomon Banga goal.
In the CHAN competition, the top two sides from each group will progress to the knock-out stage. And winners at that point will progress all the way to the final. The competition will be played in the cities of Yaounde and Limbe while Douala will host two groups at Japoma Stadium and Stade de la Reunification.
Initially scheduled for April 2020, the tournament was postponed as a result of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to take precautions to avoid contributing to its spread.
CHAN is Africa’s first major football event since the outbreak of the deadly disease last year.
About the Author
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.
