The state of the pitch at the Japoma stadium in Douala is a source of tension on the eve of the Côte d’Ivoire-Algeria and Mali-Mauritania matches this Thursday, January 20, 2022.
It’s a rumour, of course, but it doesn’t come out of nowhere and has the gift of exacerbating tensions, especially among players around the Côte d’Ivoire-Algeria match. A rumor which evoked a possible relocation of the Côte d’Ivoire-Algeria match, decisive, because the lawn of the Japoma stadium is not in a condition to serve as a field of expression for this shock.
A certainty, it is not necessary to be a gardener to see that the lawn was in a catastrophic state during the meeting Algeria-Equatorial Guinea (0-1), which would explain for many observers, in particular Algerian journalists, the reverse of the Fennecs. On the other hand, there was never any question of relocating this meeting and evoking this question / rumor in a press conference had the gift of stretching the media officer of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). ” We talk about match information, not rumors “, he warns.
The coach of Algeria, Djamel Belmadi, did not wish to add a layer. ” I never asked for anything he specifies, responding to the rumor of relocation. I have my opinion and everyone has seen the state of the pitch. We will have to deal with it. »
“There is a part of the pitch that is a disaster »
His colleague, Patrice Beaumelle had mentioned ” a decent lawn, not fantastic “, after the first match of the Ivory Coast. On Thursday, he added: obviously, the more you play it, the more it degrades. There’s a part of the land that’s a disaster “.
The Malians, housed in Limbé since the start of the competition, will discover the pitch of Japoma. They don’t seem apprehensive. ” The lawn is extremely important for us football players. We dream of playing on a beautiful lawn. It is an important factor “, said coach Mohamed Magassouba. ” We are professionals, we have to adapt as best as possible to be able to develop our football “, adds his captain Hamari Traoré.
Not sure that the Japoma lawn is the ideal ground. And not sure that the question of the lawn of Douala does not resurface after Thursday’s matches.
