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The 50,000-capacity Japoma Stadium in Douala, only inaugurated in late 2020, holds a negative history for Algeria.
Uganda’s new home ground in Cameroon, Japoma Stadium in Doula will be the venue for the crucial Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier between Uganda Cranes and Algeria, the table leaders in Group F.
With four points, Uganda Cranes currently sit in third place, level with neighboring Tanzania and two points ahead of Niger.
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However, Algeria already qualified for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations, and Uganda's choice of venue, driven by a lack of facilities at home, is causing unease for the Algerian team.
Algeria's coach, Djamel Belmadi, expressed his surprise and shared his thoughts on the chosen stadium during a press conference on Sunday.
"Uganda's choice of stadium surprised me. As the continent contains many stadiums,” Belmadi noted.
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The 50,000-capacity Japoma Stadium in Douala, only inaugurated in late 2020, holds a negative history for Algeria.
In the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon, the Desert Foxes had a dismal performance at Japoma, managing to secure only one point from three group matches.
Algeria's group stage matches in the tournament were all hosted in Japoma, and it proved to be a challenging experience for them.
As defending champions and newly crowned Arab Cup champions, they faced humiliation with a 3-1 defeat against Ivory Coast, a 1-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, and a goalless draw against Sierra Leone.
Belmadi attributed his team's difficulties to the pitch, describing it as "cataphoric."
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"We are traumatized by the pitch; not by the stadium or the town. We are traveling for tourism," said Belmadi, emphasizing the impact of the playing surface.
Algeria then turned their focus to the 2022 Qatar World Cup as a chance for redemption.
However, their path was obstructed by Cameroon, and once again, they had to confront Japoma.
Although Algeria won 1-0 in one fixture, they suffered a 2-1 loss in the return match, resulting in Cameroon securing the World Cup qualification ticket.
Now, the Desert Foxes face another visit to Cameroon, where the Uganda Cranes hope to capitalise on the ‘home advantage’.
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