Fanaticism is evil

Between 1972, when Cameroon, for the first time lost the opportunity to grab the African Nations cup on their own ground and now that we dropped so early, it is time for fanatics of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, to realise that in all competitions, victory is not the exclusive right of one contestant, who must always win.

Which therefore means that, to a certain extent fanaticism in any aspect of life, be it sports, politics, or even religion is by all assessment an evil.

In football as a sport that captures even the hardest mind set, the degree of evil can be measured from a lesser proportion when compared to politics, or religion.

In football, fanaticism catches up with you at the moment of action, while as a spectator. When it catches up with you, you lose control of the whole of your body.

Sometimes you actually see a spectator in the heat of action on the field playing the game himself where ever he happens to be standing or sitting. Sometimes, anyone who happens to stand near such a fanatic may receive some kicks or blows from the fanatic as he displays.

The good thing is that this ecstasy ends not too long after the end of the match. After this, everything shifts either to an off-licence, where debates and arguments begin, ending sometimes in quarrels, and hard exchanges.

At the end, in the spirit of football so imbibed in our way of life, that chapter closes and gives way for the usual peace that this country is universally credited for.

In politics it is not exactly the same thing, so too in religion. All that I am trying to drive home is that Cameroonians have a certain weakness as far as their fanatical inclination to the Indomitable Lions is concerned.

Cameroonians believe that, as the name goes, the Lions must always win. Which is not possible always! After every defeat, there must always be evidence of disgust in the faces of Cameroonians.

Cameroonians must understand that in any contest there must be a winner and a loser and Cameroonians must not expect that Cameroon must always win.

What we forget so easily is that Cameroon has won the African Nations cup for four times. So what do we expect other contestants to feel? Must they sit and watch Cameroon to continue to win? Will this not kill the spirit of the game?

We have it on record that we have in most of our encounters with Ivory Coast beaten them. So if this time they muster strength to beat us, why do we grumble?

Those who have taken keen interest in analysing football, the simple contention is that the ball is round and once in action it has no place to lean. So let’s put our house in order and the good things in our football will come.