Editorial: FECAFOOT's diatribe of ego, authority!.

That is the venue the Cameroon government, represented by the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, has chosen for the match. 

But the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, has objected and selected a less renowned stadium in Garoua. 

Yaounde or Garoua have, for the past fortnight, been in a play of "who's who" between the Cameroon government and FECAFOOT, which, by CAF's regulation, is supposed to be "independent" of government in management. 

Pragmatically, that independence is limited, given that FECAFOOT cannot survive without being financed by the government.

For instance, in the build up to the preparations for the Cameroon-Namibia and Zimbabwe-Cameroon matches, there are reports that FECAFOOT sent a draft budget of over 1.1 billion FCFA to the Ministry of Finance, in which it planned that the Lions should be camped at the "Mundi Complex of the Directorate General of Taxes in Yaounde, from September 2, 2024".

While it made the request, it said the match against Namibia would take place in Douala. 

The Douala venue was, however, rejected by the National Sports Facility and Equipment Board, known by its French acronym, ONIES, a government outfit that manages sports infrastructure. 

This was on grounds that after the CAF Champions League game between Victoria United and Samartex of Ghana, coupled with that pitting the CAF Champions League game between Red Stars and Djodiba on August 17, the terrain deteriorated.

ONIES explained in a preparatory meeting of stakeholders, convened by the Minister of Sports and Physical Education and attended by FECAFOOT and other stakeholders, that it would require a month for the Japoma Stadium to be ready for any match of international Standards.

Apart from that, a video presentation by the Inspector General of the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, Michel Dissake Mbarga, analysed the weather forecast in Douala, which, he said following expert research, there won’t be rainfall in Yaounde on the day of the match on September 7.

Contradicting the meteorological report without any scientific evidence, the FECAFOOT representative, Prof Nkou Mvondo, disclosed that: “A meeting has just been held by videoconference between CAF, FECAFOOT and the Namibian Football Federation. CAF and the Namibian Federation, sensitive to the arguments developed here, therefore believe, since we are talking about rain, that the match cannot be played in Douala”.

"As it is a question of rain, the three parties therefore made the decision to play the match where there is no rain. They therefore believe that in Yaounde, there will also be rain and the solution is to play where there is no rain, which is in Garoua. It is not me who says it. I am just responsible for communicating the information to you, Mr. Minister,” Prof Nkou Mvondo told Prof Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, who chaired the meeting.

The argument was rejected by the president of the National Olympic and Sports Committee of Cameroon, known by its French abbreviation, CNOSC, Colonel Kallaba Malboum.

After the heated debate, during which the FECAFOOT representative walked out grumbling, the Minister of Sports and Physical Education announced the government's choice of the Ahmadou Ahidjo stadium in Yaounde, to host the Cameroon-Namibia encounter on September 7. 

This should have ended the diatribes over the venue of the match. 

But within a twinkle of the eye, Samuel Eto'o Fils, FECAFOOT president, signed a communique late on Friday, appointing other members of the Central Organising Committee for the Cameroon-Namibia game that will take place on September 7. 

The statement stipulated that the action was taken in accordance with the convention relating to the management of national football selections between the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education and FECAFOOT on April 5, 2015.

The committee is made up of FECAFOOT President or his representative, and different commissions like health, security, three representatives of the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, MINSEP, Ministry of Communication, the Ministry of Public Health, and a representative of the Governor.

The stadium director and heads of communication for the various selections of the national team are also part of the committee. 

Eto’o stated in the release that the match will be organised in Garoua.

There is no valid reason for this tug of war over the venue. Even looking at the composition of the Committee Eto'o wants to rule on the venue, the majority of members are government officials. 

It is the state that provides security for matches played in Cameroon, not FECAFOOT, CAF or the visiting team. Should there be any lessons for FECAFOOT to understand that as long as security is concerned, no one should dictate to the government?

When the CAF president visited recently, he advised Eto'o to collaborate with the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education. By sending a representative to a preparatory meeting convened by the ministry of Sports, Eto'o was subscribing to that advice. But to renege on a government decision that is based on scientific evidence is but bad faith that doesn’t tally with the much-needed collaboration needed to develop football in Cameroon.

It is just a play of ego and authority, whose winner is crystal clear. 

At The Guardian Post, we support the decision for the match to be played in Yaounde, which also offers more financial benefits in terms of gate takings and security than Garoua. 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3211 of Tuesday August 27, 2024