Still a good chance to make it to the Olympics – Cameroon women’s footballer
Cameroon confident about Olympic chances
JOHANNESBURG, April 7 (ANA) – Cameroon women’s footballer Henriette Akaba on Tuesday said she believes her side can still qualify for the Olympic Games scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, later this year.
Cameroon face hosts Turkey in their two intercontinental Olympic playoff matches scheduled for Antalya on Saturday and at the same venue again on April 13.
Akaba told CafOnline.com: “I believe we still have a good chance if everyone gives their best in those two games in Turkey. I think what matters now is for us to go all out to play and win to make it to the Olympics.
“The Olympic Games women’s football tournament is the second biggest competition in the world, and I will be happy to help my country qualify again for the event.”
Cameroon missed earning an automatic ticket to Tokyo, after falling to Zambia on away goals, despite a 4-4 aggregate in the final round of the African qualifying series in March 2020.
Not one to dwell on missing out on their first chance to qualify for the quadrennial showpiece, Akaba said: “It was unfortunate that we lost to Zambia, but we still have two matches to play against Chile.”
Cameroon saw off Ethiopia, DR Congo and Ivory Coast before losing to Zambia, who will make their Olympic Games debut.
The Central African nation is bidding to return to the Olympics after their debut in London 2012, having missed Rio 2016, but will need to overcome the 2018 Copa America runners up, who are also in search of their maiden qualification. – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman