By Aloysius AGENDIA
Less than two weeks after the flop of the Cameroonian National Football team in South Africa, with culpability attributed by fans and experts on the French coach Paul Le Guen, the football governing body FECAFOOT, the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education and the arrogance and ego of certain players, the Cameroon Football Federation is reported to already have proceeded to appoint German Luthar Mathaeus to replace Paul Le Guen after the latter’s disastrous performance. Though not confirmed by FECAFOOT, the anger of Cameroonians towards such reported but unconfirmed hasty appointments and negotiations, may make FECAFOOT to cancel or rethink their plans.
Without any meeting to appraise the performance of the Cameroon National Team, the football supreme ruler in Cameroon, Iya Mohammed, single-handedly went ahead to recruit another mercenary coach for Cameroon. Yes, mercenary coach because all of Cameroon last 7 foreign coaches have been mercenaries who did little or absolutely nothing to improve the squad yet, earned huge sums of money. Before the official arrival of Mathaeus, a man with a very low coaching profile, other German coaches have as well been disasters for Cameroon such as Winfred Schaffer and octogenarian Otto Pfister. Before then, other mercenaries such as Portuguese Arthur Jorge and Dutch Harry Anne had a stint with huge financial fallouts just as French man Paul Le Guen. Mathaeus, 49 is the highest capped German player. He has coached the Hungarian National team as well as a low profile club, Maccabi in Israeli.
When was the vacancy for the post of Cameroonian National Team coach advertised? It is really ridiculous that Iya Mohammed immediately left South Africa and began the search of his coach as if FECAFOOT is a sole proprietor company. Nobody knows why. May be the first step towards cleaning Cameroon football should be organising transparent elections in FECAFOOT.
It is completely absurd for FIFA to think the state cannot interfere in such issues at this juncture when the state still pumps in millions of tax payers’ money which is squandered for a set of incompetent, arrogant and ungrateful guys called players just as the coaching team.
It is but clear that there are always commissions for the recruitment of a coach and Iya Mohammed who seemingly is above the law in Cameroon, will certainly cash very high on such commissions if not, benefit indirectly through the person to whom such commissions would be paid.
At a time when Cameroonians are crying for a national who masters the country and football nature of the country to coach their team, Iya Mohammed and FECAFOOT have again gone wild because of financial aggrandisement. At a time when Cameroonians are clamouring for a national coach who will sort home-based talents like the case in the 1990s rather than rely on lucky but incompetent so called professional playing in Europe, Iya Mohammed is again opening the door for the influx of people who at the last minute, rush to be Cameroonian just because they want to play for the national team and market themselves better.
Cameroon and North Korea were the only of the 32 teams which left South Africa without a single point. On the other hand, while North Korea had even been ranked last among the teams, Cameroon was placed on the 8th position according to yahoo sports wacky classifications.
Cameroon and North Korea may even have certain things in common though they are as well diametrically opposed. North Korea considered a hostile regime by the West is far more advanced than Cameroon in every aspect of human development and even in sport infrastructure. Cameroon is considered better by the same West because Cameroonian rulers have opened up the country for looting by Western multinationals. The country is in fact, a far worst regime than that of North Korea. Just the management of football in Cameroon is enough to showcase the incompetence and corrupt nature of the country.
The Ministry of Sport and Physical Education has virtually been turned to the Ministry of Football and precisely the Ministry of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon. As a matter of fact, even local championships are abandoned or not given considerable attention. In South Africa, each player received CFA 45 million far more than the 18 million (in principle because just about 5 million) is given as support to division one football teams in Cameroon.
These players are presented as very patriotic as if they are more patriotic than our teachers in our classroom, farmers, uniform men and women, medical staff etc. The latter apply for the jobs and most stay on merit but these players are virtually begged with huge sums of money for a couple of minutes job that even the most hard working medical doctor may not have in his lifetime.
Many Cameroonians are puzzled by the constant refusal of country's authorities to learn from past mistakes. Some have gone as far as saying if shame, incompetence, ridicule could kill, most Cameroonians officials would have been dead by now. Again if such vices could lead to sacking or resignation, most of those in position of public responsibility in Cameroon would have either been forced to resigned or sacked.