No lessons learnt

Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions quietly returned home shortly after losing their last opportunity to move forward in the African Nations football tournament in Equatorial Guinea.

Their early exit from the competition can only remind us about the disorder in the house, the house being FECAFOOT, Cameroon’s football governing body.

It is not long ago, that this one-time mighty football nation buried its head in shame after our disgrace at the world cup in Brazil. One would have thought we had the opportunity to recognise the source of our blunder, so we can make amends and chat our way forward.

But while on the part of the team, some measure of hope was raised during qualifier matches for the African Nations cup, in which the team’s performances stood as good indicators for better things to come, FECAFOOT was groping in the dark, caught up in disarray.

With the exit of the old vanguard, the new men, in a virtually new team seemed to have come up with a new fighting spirit, which surprisingly, took us to Equatorial Guinea with much hope and a sense of regained pride for the Indomitable Lions.

Back home in the plush offices and splendid board-room of FECAFOOT, the wrangling persisted. One postponement after the other for elections at FECAFOOT, only made a mockery of the body.

Each reason that replaced the other for the stalemate only portrayed the degree at which personal or sectarian interest has buried deep roots in the management of football in Cameroon. Not even the supervising ministry seems to be helping the situation either.

It is certainly not an overstatement that most of the lapses affecting our football management are a reflection of the state itself. This means that if the state is still to find a clear way forward, even its other arms will suffer a lack of direction.

With our blunder in South Africa and Brazil, at the level of the World cup, and Equatorial Guinea at the level of the African Nations cup, it does not appear that any lessons have been learned and this is unfortunate.

The truth is that our football standard is dropping rapidly before our very eyes and we, as a nation that once thrilled the world with skills never expected from an African country, every effort must be put in place, even if heads have to roll.

We expect those in authority to muster courage and act in the best interest of the country. It is high time we realise that our football has a great influence in determining the heart beats of our country well above politics. Which means that football remains the only force that keeps binding the country together, where politics tends to fail.

We hold very firmly that credible elections into FECAFOOT is crucial in the life of football in this country and our hope is that nothing that is necessary in assuring honest and transparent elections should be ignored.

Political leaning, ethnic emotions or whatever form of interest, other than the collective interest of Cameroonians should be allowed in place during the impending elections.

Above all, every evidence of bad faith in the process should be sought out and killed before it is too late.