Cameroon’s Early World Cup Exit

To many, the exit of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon meant the end of the World Cup. It is because, for this team, many fans have a soul-to-soul connection. The Indomitable Lions have a magical quality about them.

In the resplendent green and red outfit, the Cameroon team brings onto the pitch the total mystery of football: character, strength, skill, guile, pace, flair, passion, determination, spontaneity, and, indeed, “indomitability”. Cameroon’s premature exit therefore took away that special charm. For the football fraternity that cannot reconcile this nightmare, I wish to give my opinion, in commiseration, as follows:

Cameroon remains an elite team in the world and the pride of Africa. It has shown its qualities as a winning side. Perhaps in the Wheels of Fortune, only one ‘Cameron’ should win at a time. So, if David Cameron just won the English political premiership, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon should not win the World Cup, just yet.

Cameroon, God willing, will be around in the next World Cup in Brazil in 2014. Cameroon could still win the cup in the backyard of the FIFA No.1 ranking nation. Cameroon and other African sides should make this a project by working effectively on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

The leading strength is developing a formidable mindset. In the 2006 World Cup, Senegal Captain stated, “my side has the capacity of the best in the world and fears no one; no one.” They reached the quarter finals. This strength should be galvanised throughout Africa

The leading weakness is hasty-planning, crisis management and non-investment in African teams. It is now imperative for Africa’s leaders to strike rapport with FIFA to support all football structures in their countries. This includes engaging the best coaches in the world employed on a permanent, not makeshift basis. Uganda only made it to the Ghana finals, 1978, after engaging the German ace-coach, Bukhard Pape, on permanent, professional terms. All over Africa, the fans’ support can be harnessed to pay for elite coaches. Coaches should be appointed competitively.

The opportunities lie in football now running under the finest governance system, FIFA, with equal opportunity, transparency and accountability. Within this, Africa should maximise on its own regional associations, under CAF, to develop soccer nurseries, stadia, competitions and the recruitment and training of players.

The periods between the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations should be used to stage inter-regional, zonal and friendly contests within Africa, for the purpose of raising soccer quality. Experience gained at professional club levels should benefit country initiatives.

Players should come on a highly competitive basis. FIFA’s equal-opportunity principle should extend to the grassroots where the public, in a bottom-up approach, should advocate for the talents within their communities.

In discipline, Africa’s teams should resist complacency after individual goals, but celebrate the big haul scored after 90 minutes. Dr Augustine Ejiet once said, “Africa contains the true men. We should score at least five goals per match to handle even biased referees.”

The main threat is the ‘business-as-usual’ syndrome in the critical government and soccer organs, as well as the politics to gain office, but not perform the purpose. In our appointment with Cameroon in Brazil in 2014, let us passionately support other African representatives.