“Situation is quite difficult”
At the Africa Cup of Nations, the surprise team from the Comoros faces major problems after a corona outbreak: Coach Amir Abdou’s team, who is also one of the infected, has no trained goalkeeper available in the biggest football game in its history – the round of 16 is on Monday against hosts Cameroon.
After first-choice keeper Salim Ben Boina (30, Endoume) was injured in a sensational 3-2 win over four-time Africa Cup of Nations champions Ghana, substitutes Moyadh Ousseini (28, Fréjus-Saint-Raphaël FC) and Ali Ahamada (30 , without a club) tested positive for the corona virus as two of a total of seven players.
“We’re trying to deal with the situation as best we can,” said El Hadad Himidi, the team’s general manager. “Without the coach, some key players and the two remaining goalkeepers, the situation is quite difficult.”
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The African Football Confederation (CAF) stipulated before the tournament that teams who do not have an operational goalkeeper in their squad must still compete. “A team is obliged to play the game if at least eleven players are available,” it says.
However, the CAF also says: “In exceptional cases, the African Cup of Nations Organizing Committee will make an appropriate decision.” In the Comoros camp, it is now hoped that the injury to first-choice goalkeeper Ben Boina is such an exceptional case, because he had to leave the field left injured after a foul by André Ayew (32), who saw the red card for it.
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