By Tata Mbunwe
The Indomitable Lions, led by captain Vincent Aboubakar, arrived at the Garoua Airport this afternoon to begin their final preparations for Saturday’s match against Namibia.
The team arrived on a Camair-Co flight, accompanied by Sports Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi and the coaching staff, headed by Coach Marc Brys.
Thousands of fans lined the streets of Garoua, waving the Cameroonian flags and displaying images of iconic players, to warmly welcome the team.
The team’s arrival in Garoua ends a weeklong uncertainty regarding the final venue for the Cameroon-Namibia AFCON 2025 qualifier.
Disagreements had surfaced between the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education (Minsep) and the Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) over the match location.
Although the Garoua stadium was earlier approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the National Office of Infrastructure and Sports Equipment in Cameroon (ONIES) and the Ministry of Sports favored the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaoundé.
It took the intervention of Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute on Wednesday, September 4, for Minsep to accept the Roumdé Adjia stadium in Garoua for the match.
Cameroon is scheduled to play Namibia at 5:00 PM local time for the first Group Stage match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
They will then face Zimbabwe at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, on September 10.
