Cameroon seal Cup of Nations finals place

YAOUNDE: Five-time winners Cameroon have qualified for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations finals with a 1-0 victory over Kenya on Monday where Boris Enow scored the only goal of the game in neutral Kampala.

Enow scored with a low free kick from just outside the box as Cameroon dominated the contest and did enough to win in the absence of their federation president Samuel Eto’o, who is serving a six-month stadium ban by world governing body FIFA.

The victory moves Cameroon to 10 points from four games in the pool and ensured they cannot finish outside of the top two, which is enough to secure a place at the finals in Morocco. They join the hosts and Burkina Faso as confirmed in the 24-team field.

Algeria could also qualify later on Monday when they play Togo in Lome. Victory will guarantee Algeria a place at the finals but a draw could be enough too depending on the result between Liberia and Equatorial Guinea in Lome.

Nigeria boycott AFCON qualifier in Libya after ‘inhumane treatment’ The Nigeria Football Federation said it will fly the national team back home Monday after alleged “inhumane treatment” in Libya ahead of a 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

“Players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF (the Nigerian federation) officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” said NFF director of communications, Ademola Olajire. A formal complaint by Nigeria has been sent to the Confederation of African football (CAF) whose disciplinary board is now investigating the incident.

The Nigerian team have been held at an abandoned airport in Libya for more than 15 hours since their chartered flight landed Sunday. The Nigerian embassy in Libya reportedly cannot intervene as they would need permission to do so from the Libyan government.

Captain William Troost-Ekong said the team will not play the game and they will not make a three-hour bus ride from Al-Abraq to Benina, where the qualifier was scheduled to be played on Tuesday, for safety reasons.

“As the team captain together with the team we have decided that we will NOT play this game,” he posted on social media. “Let them have the points.

“We will not accept to travel anywhere by road here even with security it’s not safe. We can only imagine what the hotel or food would be like given to us if we continued.” CAF said they viewed “the disturbing and unacceptable experiences of the Nigerian National Football Team at an airport in Libya in a very serious light”. The statement added that CAF had been in contact with both the Libyan and Nigerian authorities.

“Appropriate action will be taken against those who violated the CAF Statutes and Regulations” the statement concluded. The Libyan football federation denied any impropriety, saying in a statement it had the “utmost respect” for Nigeria.

“There are no grounds to accuse the Libyan security teams or the Libyan Football Federation of deliberately orchestrating this incident,” it said. “Such actions are inconsistent with our values and principles.

“We firmly reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation.” Former African footballer of the year Victor Ikpeba, who accompanied the Nigeria team to Libya, has urged for stiff sanctions against Libya and supported the decision to boycott the match.

“If CAF know their job, Libya ought to be banned from international football,” he told AFP. “This is a high-risk country and one really wonders who approved for Libya to be playing their games at home.”