Exit Of Cameroon From World Cup
Kwaw Ashiakwei, Yaounde
The national soccer team of Cameroon, the Indomitable Lions, current holders of the African Nations cup, one of Africa's two participants in the 1982 world cup soccer competition and the Los Angeles Olympic games in Spain and America respectively are out of next year's world cup competition. Our correspondent KWAW ASHIAKWEI looks at the organisation of sports in CameroonThe Republic of Cameroon has an exciting annual sports package for sports enthusiasts. Sporting activities such as handball, basketball, judo and wrestling are relatively new sport disciplines which are expected to achieve popularity with time but traditional sport activities viz football, volleyball and athletics have gained considerable prominence and patronage.
In football, for instance, the national league and the FA cups are keenly contested for and the winners at the end of the soccer season qualify to represent the country in the two continental competitions - viz the African club championship cups and the African Cup Winners Cup. This year, Tonnerre club of Yaounde and Dihep Di Nkam of Douala qualified for the club championship and the cup winner's cup respectively, after hotly contested domestic league and knock- out competitions which were characterised by the usual official biases on the side of match officials.
Tonnerre who were drawn against little known A.S. Sogara of Gabon (making their debut in the prestigious competition) surprisingly crashed out of the series on a 3-2 aggregate having recorded a rather unimpressive 2-1 victory over their opponents in the first leg match played at the Yaounde sports stadium on March 19, 1985.
Tonnerre suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of A.S. Sogara during the second leg encounter in Libreville, Gabon a fortnight later. Although it was widely reported that the goal, resulting from a doubtful penalty awarded against Tonnerre should have been disallowed, it must be emphasized that in such continental series, the end surely justifies the means.
The Gabonese were no pushovers, by any stretch of imagination. In the first leg match played in Yaounde, the visitors, fielding two Cameroonians, one Zairois and a Congolese, played to the admiration of the predominantly fanatical supporters of Tonnerre, exhibiting rare soccer artistry which occasionally earned them uncontrolled applause from the stands.
Even though the Gabonese, side lost by 1-2, they were not disgraced considering that they succeeded, albeit temporarily, in unsettling Tonnerre by registering the first goal of the match. Significantly, it was this goal which saw the visitors through to the next stage of the competition.
On the domestic soccer scene, Tonnere remain the monarch of all they survey despite their misfortunes on the international soccer scene. They are currently perched on top of the national league table
Tonnerre whose approach to the first leg match was unbelievably casual squandered several chances through over elaboration, unnecessary complacency and selfishness. Soccer fans have expressed their disappointment at Tonnerre's abysmal performance which has deprived the nation of hosting more international matches during the year.
Dihep di Nkam, Cameroon's flag- bearers in this year's African Cup Winners Competition however, put the hearts of many a Cameroonian at ease when they eliminated highly favoured Primeiro da Agosta of Angola on a 3-1 aggregate to qualify for the 1/8th final of the competition, having lost 0-1 in the first leg in Luanda. The second leg match ended 3-0 in favour of Dihep di Nkam, after a thrilling match played at the Reunification stadium in the commercial capital, Douala, a fortnight later. Dihep di Nkam is a new entrant to the competition.
On the domestic soccer scene, Tonnerre remain the monarch of all they survey despite their misfortunes on the international soccer scene. They are currently perched on top of the national league table with 23 points from 15 matches with two outstanding matches to be honoured. Union Douala with 22 points from 16 matches and an outstanding match on hand comes next while the 3rd position is occupied by Panthere Bangagte with 22 points from 17 matches.
Canon of Yaounde, one of the most glamorous clubs in Cameroon and whose performance since the beginning of the league has been aptly described as unimpressive, occupies the 4th position with 21 points from a maximum of 17 matches at the end of the first round of the league. Only recently they bowed 0-5 to Dynamo of Douala in a local league encounter played in Douala. This was humiliation which the team could not swallow and it triggered off series of confusion and confrontation between players and supporters on one side and officials of the club on the other side resulting in the firing of the old executive by the playing body and supporters.
The team is currently managed by an interim executive pending the election of a permanent body to run its affairs. It should be pointed out that Canon Club of Yaounde lost the African Cup Winners Cup to Al Ahly of Egypt in the 2nd leg match played in Cairo a fortnight earlier by 0-1. Canon managed to equalise during the second leg final match but the Egyptians edged out their hosts during the penalty shoot-out which ensued.
Despite the brilliant performance by Dihep di Nkam in the continental series, they have performed abysmally in the domestic league competition. They are precariously perched at the 3rd position from the bottom of the table with an outstanding match to honour. They could make history by lifting the Cup winners cup while they are relegated to 2nd division at the end of the domestic competition. What an irony!
The unofficial league table at the end of the first round of the competition is shown below.
The national soccer team of Cameroon, the Indomitable Lions, current holders of the African Nations cup, one of Africa's two participants in the 1982 World Cup soccer competition and the Los Angeles Olympic games in Spain and America respectively have however lost their glitter. Since they edged out the Green Eagles of Nigeria 3-1 in Ivory Coast in March, 1984 to lift the cup of Nations Cup, they have not lived up to their reputation.
They lost 1-4 to the Zambian National team in the first leg World Cup qualifying match played in Lusaka on 7th April, 1985. The team's defeat was blamed on poor selection and the Cameroon football authority were forced to invite a few Cameroonians playing professional football elsewhere to strengthen the 18 Dragon Douala 16 2 3 11 11 25 -14 5 team during the second leg match. Players like Roger Miller, Lea, Abega and Mbida were subsequently invited to strengthen the attack and the midfield for the 27th April 1985 encounter in which the Lions were expected to bang in not less than three goals to qualify for the next round of competition. This proved impossible as the Zambians held them to a 1-1 draw and thereby pushed the once great African sporting nation out of the international soccer scene.
CLUBS PWDL GF GA Diff Pts
1 Tonnerre Yaounde 15 9 5 1 25 5 +2023
2 Union Douala 16 9 4 3 23 11 +1222
3 Panthere Bangante 17 9 4 4 20 9 +1 22
4 Canon Yaounde 17 9 3 5 21 18 +3 21
5 Lion Yaounde 17 5 9 3 14 9 +5 19
6 Dynamo Douala 17 8 5 4 19 10 +9 19
7 Federal Foumban 15 5 8 2 17 9 +8 18
8 Racing Bafoussam 17 5 8 4 14 12 +2 18
9 Unisport Bafang 17 5 8 4 17 6 4 7 19 18 +1 16
10 Rail Douala 17 6 4 7 19 18 +1 16
11 P.W.D. Bamenda 17 4 7 6 11 17 -6 15
12 Dragon Yaounde 16 2 11 3 6 8 8 0 15 18
13 Etoile Filante Garoua 17 4 7 14 -4 15
14 Cammark Bamenda 17 4 7 6 14 20 -6 15
15 P.W.D. Kumba 17 3 6 8 8 18 -1012
16 Dihep Di Nkam 16 2 6 8 8 19-1110
17 Entente Ngaoundere 15 2 5 8 12 20 -8 7
Key: P=Played; W=Won; D=Draw; L=Lost; F=Goals for; A=Goals against; Diff-Goal difference; Pts=Points
