Africa Cup of Nations: A football celebration overshadowed by tragedy

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Image source, Getty Images In our series of letters from African writers, Algerian-Canadian football journalist Maher Mezahi, who is in Cameroon to cover the Africa Cup of Nations, reflects on how the recent deaths of fans at a stadium has left him with mixed feelings about the tournament.
When I was first asked to do a piece about my impressions about the tournament in Cameroon, I had wanted to compile a list of the things that make it so special and sets it apart from other major football competitions.
Maher Mezahi > I have been to football matches in seven African countries and every time I make the same observation: there are so many police officers and so little safety" At around 19:30 local time, just half an hour before kick-off, thousands of fans were stuck in a crush that ended up killing eight people, including an eight-year-old boy, according to Cameroonian authorities.
I have been to football matches in seven African countries and every time I make the same observation: there are so many police officers and so little safety.