19.01.2015
On Saturday 17 January, Bata Stadium played host to the opening ceremony for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as well as the tournament’s inaugural match, played between the teams of Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of the Congo.
The tournament, which was originally planned to take place in Morocco, changed its location when the organising country asked that the tournament be postponed due to the Ebola crisis. Faced with the refusal of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Equatorial Guinea, which had hosted the 2012 event in conjunction with Gabon, stood up to make the tournament happen, also taking its place among the AFCON’s participants.
Bata Stadium, constructed in 2007, received thousands of fans on Saturday, where they had the opportunity to see colourful music spectacles, traditional dances and the participation of international singers such as the Cameroonian Mani Bella and the popular Senegalese-American singer, Akon.
This much-awaited event then gave way to the first match of the AFCON, which resulted in a 1-1 tie between Equatorial Guinea and the Republic of the Congo. This then gave way to the victory of Gabon over Burkina Faso, thus occupying the first place within Group A.
Sunday the 18th saw Group B’s debut in Ebebiyin with matches between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and between Tunisia and Cape Verde. All teams tied at 1 goal, resulting in a complete tie amongst the Group B teams. Today, the first Group C teams will play in Mongomo—Ghana vs. Senegal and Algeria vs. South Africa.
Image: Reuters/ Amr Abdallah Dalsh