Afcon 2021: Caf to discuss state of pitch in Douala

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Afcon 2021: Caf to discuss state of pitch in Douala

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Afcon 2021: Caf to discuss state of pitch in Douala

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An aerial view of the Japoma stadium in Douala

The Confederation of African Football (Caf) is to meet on Tuesday to discuss the poor state of the pitch in Douala and whether Africa Cup of Nations matches may need to be moved from the arena.

Cameroon's largest city has hosted just four games so far, with another six to come.

These include a semi-final, two quarter-finals and a Round of 16 clash.

Caf's meeting will take place at 1100 GMT.

The pitch's state was thrown into focus by Sierra Leone's last-gasp equaliser against Ivory Coast on Sunday.

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Sierra Leone's Alhaji Kamara scoring a late equaliser against Ivory Coast in Douala

Ivorian goalkeeper Badri Ali Sangare was caught out as he seemingly lost his footing as he attempted to smother the ball to prevent it going for a corner only to fumble it into the path of gleeful goalscorer Alhaji Kamara.

Even then the Denmark-based forward had to recover from his own slip on the surface in order to put the ball into the open goal.

Algeria coach Djamel Belmadi, whose team have played both games on the pitch so far, has criticised the pitch from the first day it hosted games.

The Japoma Stadium was opened in late 2020, and first used when Cameroon hosted the African Nations Championship, a tournament for African footballers based in their own domestic championships, in January 2021.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/60038661

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