By William Owusu Boateng
Two of African football’s most renowned nations go up against each other in the second African Cup of Nations semi-final, with host Cameroon and Egypt set to clash today.
This will be their eleventh AFCON meeting. It will be the first match to be played at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde since January 24, 2022, when eight people died and 38 got injured in a stampede prior to Cameroon’s victory over Comoros. Cameroon’s Football Legend, Samuel Eto’o, now President of the country’s Football Federation, has already landed himself in hot water for appearing to motivate the Indomitable Lions by suggesting they need to approach the game like a war.
On the pitch, the omens appear to be against Cameroon. No team has gone beyond the semi-finals as a host nation since Egypt in 2006, when the Pharaohs went on to win the tournament – a feat they have repeated in the adjoining two editions. Nevertheless, Cameroon’s own semi-final record is impressive having progressed from seven of their previous nine matches.
The winner of this tie will take on Senegal in the final of the competition following their three-one defeat of Burkina Faso, last night.
