Until tragedy struck in the form of a stadium crush killing eight people at the start of the knock-out round in Cameroon, the headlines generated by the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament were mostly positive.
Despite the fears from western media and football pundits about COVID-19 outbreaks and of players not being made available by international clubs, the 2021 Afcon tournament was running well. It launched successfully in Cameroon a year later than planned due to delays caused by the pandemic.
