Society

Tiko: Senator Fonderson uses sports to preach peace, living together.

by Shing Timothy
26 May 2025 19:45
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Sponsor, DO and other stakeholders in group picture with winning team

Workers of the Cameroon Development Corporation, CDC, have won the 2025 edition of the Inter-service football competition in Tiko. They defeated Taxi drivers in a penalty shootout in the male category.
The CDC team played the final of the eighth edition of the competition on Monday, May 19.

After a one-all tie in the regular playtime, they overpowered their opponents by a score of 7-6. In the female category, the Mungo football team defeated the girls from Mutengene by three goals to nil.

The yearly competition, sponsored by Senator Lionel Papinatu Fonderson, brings together teams representing workers of the public, private and para-public sectors, including those from the informal sectors.

The male category winners took home prize money worth 200,000 FCFA, while the runners-up had 100,000 FCFA. In the female category, the winners took home 100,000 FCFA, while the runners-up had 50,000 FCFA.

According to Senator Fonderson, the competition is an opportunity to keep the town busy during the weeks leading up to the National Day every year. In this light, he expressed joy with the cordiality of all the players during the games, the camaraderie, and the blending of the Tiko population.

He said what motivates him to sponsor the competition is to ensure that Tiko remains the cradle of football in the South West region.

“…we do not want the city to miss such a position, so we encourage our young stars to continue practising to make sure we can have great players representing our nation from Tiko,” he said.

Senator Fonderson said the population should expect better competition next year. “We are looking forward to having a better competition next year with the involvement of a female team to spice up the competition, and the organisation will also be better,” he noted.

On his part, the Divisional Officer, DO, of Tiko Subdivision, Voh Armstrong, encouraged the sponsor to continue such initiatives that bring people together.

“I want to thank the Senator for organising the inter-service football tournament in Tiko to keep members of the community from different professional backgrounds fit,” the DO said. He urged Senator Fonderson not to relent, but to continue supporting such initiatives in Tiko.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3453 of Friday May 23, 2025