Women's football: Demoted clubs request reinstatement

The Association of Promoters of first and second division clubs in Cameroon Women's Football has requested for reinstatement of the eight clubs demoted to division two to strengthen the Indomitable Lionesses.

Cameroon Football Federation Standards Committee (FECAFOOT) seems relaxed about the situation while the promoters of clubs association filed a memorandum to that effect.

The splendid performance of the Indomitable Lionesses at the FIFA World Cup in Canada appears to have unstiffened the positions of various players in the suspension of certain women's football clubs.

In Canada, Pr. Joseph Owona, President of the Cameroon Football Federation Standards Committee (FECAFOOT), suggested that FECAFOOT might pardon the offending clubs and their leaders as long as they appeal and acknowledge their wrong. Some officials have asked that the clubs be pardoned "for the good of women's football."

Also, the association said they filed a memorandum to FECAFOOT this week. In the document, the association requested for the reinstatement of the eight clubs demoted to division two while including the impact they made.

First, was the participation of the Indomitable Lionesses in the African Games in Maputo, then to the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup 2015 which according to the Association, were the result of painstaking work done especially by presidents of clubs which are now on suspension.

Also, the club promoters believe that the sidelining of these eight clubs experienced in the training of young girls is detrimental to the quality of national competitions, especially when Cameroon is the host for the Women’s AFCON in 2016.

In addition, the suspended teams asked authorities of the Littoral region to initiate a guideline for them to follow. "These are the only alternative for the teams to be able to go to Equatorial Guinea and Gabon for the African games,” said the memo.

Finally, the association of club promoters requested for a further revision of regulations of women's football competitions to enable the engagement of clubs for the 2014-2015 seasons.

For the record, United Girls Douala, As Locomotive, Lorema girls, Ecole Franck Rohlicek, Caiman of Douala, AS Kirikou of Garoua, AS Yaoundé V and Emergence of Yaoundé were demoted to divisions two in 2014 and they were suspended for five years from all activities of the federation.

They were accused of having boycotted some matches of first division championship, against a backdrop of bickering about the subsidy granted by FECAFOOT.