Africa Cup of Nations: Which West Country stars are playing in AFCON?

Ebou Adams (left), Jojo Wollacott (centre), and Panutche Camará (right) are all at this year's AFCON Credit: PA

Three players from West Country teams are featuring in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations held in Cameroon.

Plymouth Argyle’s Panutche Camará is joined by Jojo Wollacott (Swindon Town) and Ebou Adams (Forest Green Rovers) at the 33rd edition of the tournament.

What is AFCON?

The Africa Cup of Nations is an international football tournament for African countries which is played every two years.

The tournament was scheduled to begin in 2021 but was postponed for a year because of coronavirus.

Panutche Camará celebrates after Plymouth Argyle score against Cheltenham Town in December 2021 Credit: PA

It kicked off on Sunday 9 January and includes squads of up to 28 players – the final will be held on Sunday 6 February.

The tournament, held in Cameroon, includes 24 teams from across the continent who play in a group stage format before single-leg knockout rounds.

The West Country footballers playing in the tournament

Panutche Camará – Plymouth Argyle and Guinea-Bissau

Panutche Camará made his debut for Guinea-Bissau at this year’s AFCON.

The 24-year-old, who has played for the Plymouth Argyle since August 2020, came on as a substitute in his side’s opening fixture against Sudan on January 11.

Although the game ended goalless, the Pilgrims' forward described his first-ever appearance for his national side as a "most special day".

Plymouth Argyle also tweeted “congratulations” for their forward’s achievements.

Guinea-Bissau face Egypt – AFCON’s most successful team - on January 15 before taking on Nigeria four days later in their final group stage match.

Ebou Adams – Forest Green Rovers and The Gambia

Ebou Adams represents The Gambia – who are making their first ever appearance in the competition.

He has played for his country on nine occasions, including playing in his side's 1-0 win over Mauritania on January 12.

Ebou Adams celebrates scoring a goal for Forest Green Rovers in the League Two playoffs in 2021 Credit: PA

They then take on Mali on January 16 before playing their final group stage fixture against Tunisia on January 20.

In 2016, Adams played non-league football while at university – as well as working at TGI Fridays.

The midfielder has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the football pyramid and joined Forest Green Rovers in 2019 where he has since scored eight times in 88 appearances.

Jojo Wollacott – Swindon Town and Ghana

Jojo Wollacott is the starting goalkeeper for both Swindon Town and Ghana.

In this year’s AFCON, he played in the Black Stars’ opening game - a 1-0 defeat against Morocco on January 10.

Ghana also face Gabon on January 14 and Comoros four days later on January 18 to complete their group stage fixtures.

The 25-year-old was born in Bristol and was playing for Gloucester City in the National League South just three years ago.

He has also been on loan at Bath City, Truro City, and Forest Green Rovers before leaving Bristol City for Wiltshire in June 2021.

Jojo received his first call-up to the Ghana squad four months later and made his debut in October 2021 against Zimbabwe.