The footballers are not to blame

They say those whom the gods want to destroy, they first make mad. There is a certain madness that affects and permeates all the facets of our national life that makes one wonder if the Cameroonian nation has been marked out for destruction by the gods.

Irrespective of the topsy- turvy nature of the affairs of the nation we tend to give the impression that by some magic wand like in the Arabian nights, or in Indian films, things would just muddle through and one day we would be in paradise.

There are four incidents that have occurred in the past two weeks that have defined and encapsulated our national psyche. These incidents have proven beyond all doubts that every nation has the national team it deserves.

Football is a game that needs mental as well as physical preparation and preparedness and it is one aspect of our national life that has brought us international recognition.

Paradoxically it is in the management of football that our Achilles heel has been disgracefully exposed.

The lions had to go on strike, miss the flight to Brazil before Fecafoot made an about turn and looked for money to settle their financial entitlements.

This is an example of how not to prepare for the gruelling and exerting physical task of taking on some of the finest football nations at the world cup. Secondly while the lions were in the camp in Brazil it turned out Samuel Eto'o fils, the poster boy of Cameroonian football and the skipper of the team had commenced criminal prosecution against his erstwhile paramour for haven obtained the sum of two hundred million francs from him by false pretences.

Koah Helene Nathalie a svelte and gazelle like beauty and an employee of the national airlines, was thrown into the police cell for three days, her passport seized and she suffered all sorts of indignities and harassment.

The scintillating mademoiselle gave an interview in which she made it abundantly clear that Samuel Eto’s money had gone into his head and he is a male chauvinist woman beating violent thug.

His complaint against her was based on his demanding a return of all the gifts he had showered on her during their tempestuous dalliance. Eto and those who advise him should know that he should be an example for Cameroonian youths.

He is far from being a fine example by such conduct and it appears many Cameroonians would want a chunk of that money by any means necessary.

Back to Brazil again we continued to exhibit our indiscipline, disgraceful and abhorrent manners. When Professor Joseph Owona was appointed to head the embattled Fecafoot we thought sanity would reign but when he allocated a paltry four million francs to Roger Milla, and ministers and their girlfriends took mouth-watering amounts, we knew chaos had come again.

It all exploded in the luxurious hotel rooms in Brazil and two ministers further disgraced themselves and the nation when Adoum Garoua the sports minister and Owona fought again over who should control the spoils.

Adoum Garoua knowing the well documented ire of Owona, checked out of the hotel along with some senators to the safe confines of another watering hole.

The final nail on the Cameroonian coffin was the appalling and disreputable conduct of the players. Alex Song a fine professional exhibited the indiscipline characteristic of Cameroonians and exposed us and the team to an avalanche of goals.

The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the near fisticuffs that Assou Ekotto engaged with Moukanjo. Two players in the same team defending the national colours on the world stage fought each other. This is the most outrageous conduct we have ever seen on the world stage and we have now become the laughing stock of the whole world.

What did you expect? In a nation where bribery and corruption has been raised to a national art and where villagers dance to the small hours of the morning when a child gains admission into any of the schools where he is exposed to bribery corruption and theft what do you expect?

We are a nation where the anti-corruption body is muscled and Administrative Courts at the regional level meant to check administrative excesses are neutered and where a whole cabinet is in jail and policemen routinely shake down drivers for bribe money etc.

Surely someone must exhibit the political will to lance this gangrene of graft and indiscipline which is making us ashamed of being Cameroonians.

We are a nation without any radar or rudder and that is how our national team is so, the footballers are not to blame for being a perfect reflection of the national consciousness.

A lion does not give birth to a goat.

The Yoruba’s have a proverb that if you use your calabash to carry urine somebody would use it to carry faeces. Many Cameroonians have used the national calabash to carry urine so much so that anybody can now use it to carry faeces.

The buck must stop somewhere.