By Dipo Olowookere
Outgoing Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, Ms Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has congratulated the government and people of Cameroon, particularly the national soccer team, the Indomitable Lions, for claiming the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2017) title.
In a statement at the end of the hotly contested final match, Ms Dlamini Zuma wrote, “Congratulations to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon for a spectacular AFCON 2017 victory.”
The Cameroonian national soccer team emerged victorious against their Egyptian counterparts, the Pharaohs of Egypt, in the AFCON 2017 finals which took place in Libreville, Gabon, on 5 February 2017.
The final score was 2 for Cameroon and 1 for Egypt. Egypt is seven times AFCON title winner, while Cameroon follows with the fifth title.
Ms Dlamini Zuma also commended the Pharaohs of Egypt for putting a very good show in the final game of the tournament. The Burkina Faso national team beat Ghana to retain the Bronze medal in the third position.
The outgoing AU Commission Chairperson also commended the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for another very well organized three-week long tournament, and thanked the government and people of the Republic of Gabon for opening their doors to the continent and hosting the 2017 AFCON.
She urged African citizens to continue supporting sports as it creates unity and social cohesion, noting that sport events continue to unite the continent and embody Aspirations 2 and 5 of Agenda 2063, which speak to an integrated Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, values and ethics.