8th January, 2022
Guinea-Bissau’s football federation said 10 of their players and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 less than 24 hours to the kick-off of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
“The results of seven other members of our delegation are still awaited,” the federation said on its Facebook page on Saturday without giving further details.
Guinea Bissau will have their first match against Sudan on 11 January in Garoua and meet Nigeria on 19 January.
The team arrived in host nation Cameroon on Wednesday and has been training in Garoua where they will face Group D opponents including seven-time champions Egypt, three-time winners Nigeria and 1970 champions Sudan.
Over 40 players and staff members of the 24 AFCON participating nations have tested positive for COVID-19. Some of them have been released from confinement after testing negative.
Cameroonian authorities and Confederation of African Football have stressed that only those who have been vaccinated and tested negative of COVID-19 will access the stadium and other popular joints during the four-week long tournament.
Cameroon and Burkina Faso will kick off the tournament at the Olembe Stadium in Yaounde on Sunday.