In Cairo, Egypt

It’s barely a fortnight since Malkia Strikers eliminated Cameroon in the semi-finals of the CAVB Women’s African Nations Championship in Yaounde but Cameroonians are yet to heal from that painful loss.  

When the two nations renew rivalry Monday here in Cairo at the men’s tournament, the Indomitable Lions will be looking to avenge the 3-1 loss the women’s team suffered on home soil to deny them a fourth consecutive African title.

Cameroon coach Malloum Abbas proudly accepted the favourites tag ahead of their opening Group C match against Kenya scheduled for 6pm EAT. And justifiably so given the rift in quality between these two sides with Kenya ranked 71st on the FIVB rankings while Cameroon are 29th in the world and third in Africa.

“Anytime Kenya and Cameroon are playing it’s never going to be an easy game. Your women’s team beat us at home a few weeks ago and I hope we are going to avenge this and win. We are ranked higher but we are expecting a tough match,” said Abbas.

Kenya head coach Gideon Tarus is optimistic that his charges can cause an upset against the fancied West Africans who won silver in the previous edition held in Rwanda in 2021.

“The boys look sharp in training and we have worked on some of the mistakes we identified in our friendly match against Morocco like blocking, service and back court defence.

“We are on a mission here to improve our ranking so we have to perform well against these big teams. We have to approach this match with a positive mind and realise that Kenya can only be considered a good team if we beat a team like Cameroon,” Tarus told Nation Sport after Sunday’s training session.

While Kenya have only four professional players, the entire Cameroon squad is composed of players who ply their trade in Europe and Asia. Tarus conceded that the Indomitable Lions are more experienced but insists he has a solid game plan.

“They have one experienced outside hitter and opposite who we really have to contain,” said Tarus in reference to opposite Yvan-Arthur Kody and France-based Nathan Wounembaina.

“We have to force them to play out of system as much as possible to make it easier for us to defend. We have to be tactical with our services because they will be key to us winning today,” he added.

Kenya’s attacking formation will rely heavily on in-form opposite Abiud Chirchir who is based in France. The 26-year-old missed the last edition in Rwanda but he is now determined to lead from the front here in Cairo.

“Last time I missed this championship but I am here ready to serve my team. This is the first match and it’s very important because it will shape our destiny in this tournament and determine our subsequent results,” said Chirchir.

“Cameroon is a good team, they are very physical in their approach. It’s going to be a tough game but I believe we are equal to the task. We have to be ready both physically and mentally. If we stick to our game plan and do our things right then anything is possible,” he added.

Libya and Ghana will face off in the other Group C encounter at 12 noon.

Group C fixtures

Monday

Libya v Ghana 12pm
Cameroon v Kenya 6pm