In Cameroon, the CAN is following its course. On the eve of the first quarter-finals, Cameroon will face Gambia this Saturday, January 29, and Tunisia will face Burkina Faso. The “Stallions” who are doing well in this CAN, are experiencing a special tournament because of the coup d’état in their country at the start of the week.
” Yes everyone is fine, everyone is fine… When he talks about his relatives in Burkina Faso, Adama Guira seems relieved. The midfielder of the Stallions is nonetheless aware that selection has a role to play vis-à-vis the population: ” We are men of integrity, as they say. We are here and we have a little ear on the other side but we feel that people are with us. If we win, it’s also our way of helping to bring peace and serenity to our country.. »
The players try to ignore this coup d’etat, there is no question for them of taking sides. Coach Kamou Malo was able to talk to Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, Burkina’s new strongman.
” We still had the honor of having our new president on the phone, who in any case gave us encouragement. It is a duty all the same to go to the end in this competition “, says Kamou Malo.
For now, the Stallions are doing well and the crisis the country is going through is an additional source of motivation, according to their manager, Aristide Bancé: “ It concerns us. The children, they saw what happened there. They know they have a role, it’s to turn the page quickly, because when we win, they’re only going to talk about Burkina… They’re only going to talk about football. »
Now, the Burkinabè will therefore already focus on their next opponent, Tunisia, and try to do as well as in 2013, when they reached the CAN final.