Photo Essay: Why Cameroon Shared the Last Place at the 2010 World Cup With North Korea

Dibussi Tande

A million reasons have been given to explain why Cameroon, supposedly one of the greatest football nations in the world, ended up sharing the last spot at the 2010 World Cup with - Oh! The humiliation! - North Korea. While conflicts within the national team and poor coaching may explain  Cameroon's South African debacle, the problem with the country's football is systemic and structural. Take a hard look at the following pictures; these are some of the stadiums where games for the MTN Elite One league (Cameroon's premier football championship) are played each week.

Cotonsport, Cameroon's Elite One Champions, playing at the Bamendzin "Stadium" in Bafoussam, homeground of Racing Bafoussam FC

Exactly what kind of talent do we expect to emerge from these potato fields? Isn't it time for Cameroon to go back to the basics - developing a coherent national football policy, establishing a credible youth prospection and development program, professionalizing the elite league, training local coaches in modern techniques and tactics, building stadiums that meet minimum FIFA standards, etc. - before aspiring to conquer the the African and world stage? There can be no cutting corners on this one!

Buea "Omnisport" stadium, homeground of Mount Cameroon FC, 2002 Cameroon cup winners.

Bangante Municipal Stadium, homeground of Panthere Bangante, 2009 Cameroon cup winners

Ngaoundere Municipal Stadium, homeground of Elite One club Ngaoundere University

Bafang Municipal Stadium - homeground of Unisport Bafang - The stadium is also known as (gasp!)  the "Parc des princes"

Victoria Centenary Stadium - Homeground of Elecsport Limbe, Victoria United, etc.

Elite One game between Panthere Bangante and Fovu Baham on an unidentified pitch in the Western region.

The CENAJES stadium in Dschang - Homeground of "El Pacha", Aigle Royal de la Menoua

 
The mythical Tonnerre Kalara club playing at the Stade Militaire in Yaounde. The Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium across town is now used primarily for international/national team encounters.

 
Entrance of the Mankon Municipal Stadium in Bamenda

Reserve bench at the Mankon Municipal stadium

Canon Yaounde and Union Douala, two of Cameroon's greatest clubs and former African champions,  battling it out in mud


It's got grass!!!! Tiko Municipal Stadium, homeground of Tiko United, the 2009 Cameroon champions

The new "ultra-modern" stadium in Mbouda donated by cellular telephone operator MTN. Home ground of Bamboutos FC, it is considered one of the best stadiums in the country...

Cameroon's football jewel - The Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium constructed in 1972 to host the 8th African Nations Cup (c) Metote

Comments

[Ekwall]

What an eye sore but yet...many want us to win the world cup.This is ridiculous.There is no cutting of corners on this one as Mola Dibussi rightly indicated.Maybe we can just withdraw from international competitions.These sad pictures are going to resonate across the globe and many observers and experts who often have this positive feeling about Cameroon football will have think again before classifying the country as the power house of African football.

[Ma Mary]

Ordinary people feel shame.

The psychopaths who run Yaounde and Southern Cameroons do not feel shame. Have you seen the condition of their embassies around the world?

These "people" have no shame.

[Kwensi]

The problems that plague our national team are many and have been roundly discussed ever since we crashed out the Fifa World Cup in South Africa. However, these problems are not just limited to the realm of football or sports for that matter, but permeate our entire psych as a nation. At the bottom of it is our refusal to take responsibility for anything big or small. I have been a keen observer of this singularly Cameroonian trait for a while and it pains me to report that we as a group of people shy away from having to take any decision on anything.
Cameroonian seem to be the only group of people that when they congregate to map out a course of action on an issue consistently produce results that a far inferior to the sum total of the individual talents of the congregants. Why is this so? Why is that we seem always to sink to lowest common denominator in our endeavours? The intelligent gifted people among us consistently fail to lift the less endowed. The converse is almost always true.
But I digress. Let me go back to football and our inglorious South African expedition to support my arguments. We have known for years now that we will not be able to replicate the stellar results of the '80s and '90s unless we direct our limited resources towards developing our infrastructure and human resources to lock in these gains. Yet conference after conference always produced the same resolutions: reliance of foreign expertise and farming out of emerging talented players to foreign clubs even before they have understood what it means to be Cameroonian.
We demand that players be patriotic but we fail to show them either through the version of our history that is taught in our schools or through examples on the part of our leadership what patriotism means.
Is it okay that the most visible job in Cameroon--the job of manager in our national team-- has been the preserve of non-nationals for decades now? What motivation do we provide to a young man just cutting his teeth in the national team when every position at the front desk is held by foreigners? There is only one reason for this lack of vision on the part of our leaders—their inability to take a decision that may have some short-term risks but when consistently applied may produce long-term gains.
So we had some bad experiences with some national coaches. Does this in anyway indicate that every Cameroonian coach out will be equally as bad. Why is that we are very eager to give more leeway to foreign coaches than our own. We cut them down as soon as the team gets one bad result. Does the name Jean Paul Akono ring a bell? Then we turn around and hire a foreigner, pay him 10,000X the salary we paid our compatriot to produce the same bad results.
Positive outcomes are heralded but are only the result of many failures that are quickly forgotten when we triumph. We, as a nation, need to learn that. The time to reset the foundations of football is upon us. This picture album that Mola posted should act as a wake up call.

[Dr A A Agbormbai]

Most of these pictures are terrible. Almost 30 years of Biya and look at where we are! Especially when you consider that over the years Biya's regime has embezzled billions of dollars and stashed in foreign banks!

[Jojo Banjo]

The best we can do is to keep writing about all the bad things and baddies in action in Cameroon. Nothing is gonna change
Can the population talk? Can we rise up as one to say enough is enough? Plenty tok tok and big mop for nothing. Whosai wonna action de? Paul Biya and his complice dem go continue for mash wonna like potohpotoh
If we all want change to happen, we know what to do. Take up arms and tell Biya and his cohorts that their time is up.
Otherwise, keep writing your big big gramma for here till the cows come home.

[faison]

Jojo, first thing you must do is to lay off the booze, but will you join the fight?

[bepanda]

I'm really sad to hear that people always want to push the blame on to others or want to take arms. No, we don't need arms to solve this problem. How have other countries tried to address this issue? I suggest, we ask the municipalities to come up with a plan, to put aside some $$$ (maybe additional small tax) and an independent commission is charged to managed the money. This money can be used to invest in some minimal infrastructure to help build a stadium, let's say one that looks like the one in Mbouda. Low budget and low maintenance, but high in quality.
Remember, better stadium also means fewer injuries of players, high quality of the games and more fan interest. Why can't we think in a more positive way? in a more creative way? Why should we keep waiting for others to solve our problems? Come on people, throw some ideas here ... we are better than that.
just my 2 cents.

[Martin Douala]

Yet, Paul Biya had a better choice - US$30 million attempt to purchase a Boeing Executive Jetliner to fill his personal ego. Then he changed the Constitution to make himself a defacto president for nothing. It is a shame that Cameroonians tolerate this heinous nonesense from such a lack-lustre performer for so long. He should be forced-retired on a negative pension.

[Wanto Jean-Pierre]

While the Biya regime has a big role to play with regards to the abysmal infrastructure in Cameroon, nothing, absolutely nothing, stops municipal councils from planting grass on these pitches! Why on earth, for example, should the stadium in Buea, a town lush with tropical greenery, have a pitch consisting of sand imported from Douala when grass grows naturally everywhere? The grass on the tiko stadium is natural and does not need any maintenance just as the old Buea stadium which is still green 25 years after it was abandoned.

I will never understand this Francophone obsession with red mud and sand... yes, it is a Francophone phenomenon...

[facter]

Wanto, you have a point about municipal participation, but who makes money from these sports? Who collects receipts and how is the money allocated? Can municipalities issue bonds, with the understanding that the receipts and business attracted to these activities would pay? If the money goes to Yaounde and the pockets of individuals, it makes zero sense for the municipalities to be interested.

[njimaforboy]

The reason for all this failure is the result of a FAILED leaderhip. The blame lies fully on Paul Biya, a failed dictatorship.

Paul Biya, the butcher of etoudi is a suicidal maniac who is running down Cameroon.

The entire nation as a group is better off if this buffoon called Biya is murdered or drop dead.

This dirty frog called Paul Biya has no class. He does not see all the filth around him, an early symptom of the brain dying.

Paul Biya the Butcher of etoudi has his dying brains under Chantal's panties so much that, there are no thoughts left for the future of Cameroon.

Get rid of this buffoon and life will change for the average Cameroonian.

[oyez]

Tetanus Stadium, Bafoussam
Jigger stadium, Buea
Ngaundere Cow Shit Stadium
Tumbu Fly Stadium, Bangante

[Ndeh Monda]

After all has been said, now-Who bells the cat?Why is it that all of us always think 'the other guy' should always take the lead?-just lick your wounds quietly and stop complaining,'bunch of cowards!'I mean it!

[Oyez]

Discussion is always the first step.

[Zebbes]

First i will like to say good art work from Mola,but i don`t think our problem lies only in the football field,i was very happy to hear someone like Roger Milla to stand almost right closed to Eto`o and tell him he has contributed nothing to the national team side,it makes me feel we still have some courageous people who can also stand up and tell Paul Biya that this shit of yours is over.but where are they,are they inside the CPDM,SDF,UNDP,etc,i think all these parties are all answerable to Grand Sociere.they just wait for election time and collect their blank checks.i think they are all waiting for 2011 as if they want change,but they change they are expecting is change of amount in their various accounts in the banks. Mr Paul you can stay there till thee kingdom come.and know that this thee kingdom is coming very soon.

[JP]

Hi Zebbes, I don't believe Tande argues that our problems lie ONLY with our football pitches. In fact he clearly asks the country to go back "to the basics - developing a coherent national football policy, establishing a credible youth prospection and development program, professionalizing the elite league, training local coaches in modern techniques and tactics, building stadiums that meet minimum FIFA standards, etc."

I personally believe that we can still have a dictatorship and still have a vibrant sports sector - look at Germany under Hitler or Spain under Mussonili. With regards to the World Cup, countries like Argentina, Brazil, etc., won the world cup under tough military dictatorships.

That the Cameroonian dictatorship cannot even develop a vibrant sports culture for its own selfish benefit says it all...

[Ba Vughong]

South Africa has to be congratulated for defending the African colors; so should Angola for organising the FIFA World Cup and CAN football competitions respectively. Know that every Cameroonian player at the CAN or World Cup is a self made footballer, with little or no investment from the State. How do you expect these "abandoned-to-themselves-fellows-and-semi-merceneries" to do any better. Shame to the meddling into, and the abandonment of, and the neglect of the sport that put Cameroon on the world map.

[Oloruntiboy]

Thank you all for this words of changes in our country Cameroon.When good we all say good,but when bad we say bad and put blames to our leaders.Yes football pitches are bad and bad indeed.Let us work as a team to see how each Cameroonian can be of help to the nation by putting in solution tips and not abuses.The leaders all had failed but not death so there can still be a change as every Cameroonian will want.
Let us under our leaders backup our future nation for a change by actions and not by words,abuses and hatred.Thanks My advice will be a change of attitudes and wrong decision taking by our leaders.......

[Bugzy]

It's because of things like this, that some people want to be on their own. It is only in football? We are all talking about football because thats the only thing, one can console him/her self with. Everything is going down the drain, our leaders are all sick and under a spell. Infact the leadership of the country has as plan to fustrate and render Cameroonians useless but God will not accept that to happen. All we can do is PRAY for our country!!