UPC wants Volker Finke fired

At a time when Cameroonians are still wondering about the future of football in the country due to the fact that results of an investigation into the poor performance of the national team is still concealed, one of the oldest political parties in Cameroon, UPC has come out to demand the sacking of the head coach of the national football team, Volke Finke.

The secretary general of the party and member of parliament, Robert Bapooh Lipot made the call in a press conference he was granted last week end. The press conference was organised to reaffirm the legality of the ‘UPC Bapooh Lipot faction’ and present the party’s stand point on some national issues.

The UPC, the political party that spearheaded the fight for the independence of Cameroon is of the opinion that while the government is drawing up proposals to solve problems in Cameroon’s football, they should also be thinking about booting out the head coach, who they say, holds a 70% responsibility for the poor performance of the country’s national team at the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Bapooh Lipot argued that though other factors might have contributed to the debacle of the Indomitable Lions in Brazil, the main reason is that the coach included over 10 players in the squad who he was well aware, were suffering from injuries. According to him, any honourable coach would resign after getting the type of performance he put up in Brazi. He also stated that the party considers Finke’s quest to take the team to the next Africa Cup of nations to be an intolerable provocation.

The UPC secretary general also opined that if Finke does not want to go out through the main door, then he should be pushed out through the window. He told journalists that it is about time Cameroon revised its strategy of recruiting coaches. He cautioned that the country should cease from being a country where retired coaches run to, for easy money or a laboratory where European coaches are sent to test their capacities.

Speaking about the main issue on the agenda, Lipot stated that other factions of the UPC are claiming that they have the right to broadcast messages on the CRTV political propaganda program, Expression Direct, whereas the communication minister stated that the program is for parties that are represented in parliament.

He reiterated government recognition of his party which is represented in parliament.

“My team and I were elected in a general assembly of the UPC on September 30, 2012. There has never been any appeal or complaint filed at the interior ministry to contest the elections after we deposited the report of the assembly. We went ahead, carried out campaigns and won seats in the September 30, 2013 legislative elections. That gives us the recognition and sole right to broadcast messages over the national station in the name of the UPC,” Lipot said. He also noted that the messages will not be his or Pierre Sende, another UPC MP, but a message of the party.

He accused divisional officers who give authorisations to anybody who intends to organise a political rally in the name of the UPC for scheming to kill the party. This he said, is because of the fact that no other party is facing what the UPC is going through.

He praised the government for the progress on the Kribi deep seaport, but stressed that the decisions taken by the state to increase prices of fuel and cooking gas, as well as signing the economic partnership agreement, EPA between Cameroon and the EU, requires a close follow up. He said government has put the country in a corner where serious policies need to be taken to withstand certain challenges especially within the framework of the EPA.

He also saluted President Biya for the fight against the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram, stating that the policy of the new UPC is to either take over power or join the government and contribute to development and growth; as was the school of thought of the late UPC SG, Frederick Kodock.