Joseph Antoine Bell denounces violent manifestations

Cameroon’s football legend, Joseph Antoine Bell, who aspires ascending to the presidency of Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) when elections are organised on Saturday November 29, 2014, has dissociated himself from calls for violent manifestations on the social media.

Briefing the press November 24 against a backdrop of what he termed misleading social media repeated incitation of the public for a national violent manifestations, Mr Bell said he seeks to rule FECAFOOT in honesty, respect of laws and State institutions and would not in any way incite the public into violence.

Stating clearly that neither he nor his cohorts are responsible for the damaging messages spreading like wild fire on the social media, Joseph Antoine Bell said Cameroon is a State of law and that he aspires to govern the country’s football but not in chaos.

Purportedly in the name of the FECAFOOT aspiring president, perpetrators of the misleading mails have published calls like, “Je crois que là, ils veulent nous mettre tous à la rue! Nous allons tous sortir! Je crois que nous devons changer de régime cette fois-ci. TROP ! C’est TROP ! Cameroon must change!", meaning “I think they are pushing us into rebellion and we will come out. I think we will change the regime this time around. Enough is enough! Cameroon must change!"

Another one noted that “A l’attention de tous le Camerounaises et Camerounais: Une grande marche de protestation pacifique sera organisée le 29 Novembre en direction de l’hôtel Mont Fébé pour empêcher la tenue des élections à la Fecafoot. Nous vous attendons nombreux…” "At the attention of all Cameroonians. A big protest march will be organised on November 29 towards the Mont Febe Hotel to halt elections at FECAFOOT. We are waiting for you...”

“The calls make me to feel that there is a hidden agenda,” Joseph Antoine Bell said, calling on all to rally behind “me for a clean football and nothing but football. We should remain mobilised and exercise fair play.” He said he and his team will work to ensure that honesty and patriotism prevail.

The aspiring candidate as well as others whose files were initially rejected for not living up to expectation met with the President of FECAFOOT’s Normalisation Committee, Prof. Joseph Owona ahead of the new deadline given them which is November 26, 2014.