Crying over spilled milk, Cameroon fans worried

As the world cup tournament in Brazil enters its second week, there is no doubt that whatever remains of Brazil 2014 interests only die-hard Cameroonian football lovers, who have decided they will not miss any match in the competition, Cameroon or no Cameroon.

On the other hand a larger segment of football lovers, of course, fanatics of the Indomitable Lions, who had been expecting so much from the team will say Cameroon is out, so what else?

Indeed, what else is left in Brazil to watch, especially when we remember that Cameroon alone, brightened the image of African football in Italy in 1990, in the presence of a doubting International Football Community through their brilliant performance that shook the world, and won the hearts of many throughout the world.

With the imposing name and an emblem of an Indomitable Lions to brandish, we never won the World cup in Italy, but we left an exalting mark all the same. This mark has since been degraded with time, after that glorious Italy 1990. This is an important issue that has injured the pride of the nation and will be sacrilegious if we let things as they now seem to be.

Brazil 2014 has therefore broadly underlined the decline of Cameroon football based on the disgraceful exit of Cameroon as early as that, marked by poor performance, a savagely display of animal instinct indiscipline and lust for money, on the part of the team.

No! Cameroonians are disappointed. Disappointed not because it is a rule Cameroon must win at all times, which of course will only take away the thrill of the game, but because the spirit of the competition was found lacking from the very beginning, and that the fans expected at least a slight improvement in performance, from our 2010 experience in South Africa.

There is however no need crying over spilled milk now, which of course is what we are doing. It is time ripe enough for stock-taking. Time enough to mend fences! We have first of all to admit that football management in Cameroon is sick.

With this in mind, we in this Newspaper feel reluctant to take sides with a school of thought which sees the failure of our football as a reflection of the state and that the same virus that has afflicted the state in terms of governance, is already in the blood system of Cameroon football governing body, FECAFOOT.

Furthermore there can be no genuine analogy of Cameroon football that will exonerate government interference in football management as not being a major factor frustrating genuine efforts to keep the management of our football on course. There is always a clash of interest between the minister of Sports and FECAFOOT, which ultimately led to the intervention of the Worlds Football governing body FIFA when it ordered the institution of a normalization commission which was actually put in place in July 22, 2013.

The mission of this committee was to put the FECAFOOT House in order by organizing elections by March 31, 2014.

Surprisingly, more than one year since the Commission head by Joseph Owona as President and Ngassa Happy as his vice, decided to remain on seat, supervised every stage of preparations for Brazil 2014, without conducting the elections. It is enough to believe that our disgraceful exit from Brazil has placed in our hands the opportunity we never could have thought of, to set up an independent commission of enquiry into the activities of FECAFOOT, the role of the Minister of Sports, the conduct of the team, the ideal role of coaches as well as the rationale in engaging foreign coaches instead of local coaches as in the case of Nigeria, Ghana, and a few other countries that have used their nationals as coaches, with encouraging results.

Having said all this, the bottom line is that Cameroon football is sick and this now calls for a thorough x-ray which we are certain, will mean a dismantling of the present team made up of arrogant rich people who care less for the nation, and the building of a team made up of a new breed of humble, patriotic and less money minded young people. There are many of such talents waiting to be beckoned. After all there is enough time to prepare this team.

Finally, we will recommend that Cameroon withdraws from all international competitions and concentrate in building up an ideal team capable of defending our colours with pride.

We appreciate the President’s concern which has compelled him to order a probe into the World Cup debacle, with results expected within one month.