By Innocent Mbunwe
Cameroonian born Fernand 
Taninche, who sued Indomitable Lions Head Coach, Otto Pfister, for "breach of confidence and fraud" has reportedly received death threats from unknown persons.
According to an affidavit signed by Barrister Thomas Biyik, Bailiff of the Yaounde Court of Appeal, a copy of which The Post procured, a letter was dropped at Taninche's home on September 4.
The letter states in French; "Fernand Taninche!!! C'est L'ultime Avertissement. Si Tu Continu A Gene Le Staff Des Lions Et Le Ministere, Tu Aura De Nos Nouvele Pas De Bonne Pour Toi. Ta Femme Et Tout Tes Enfants.
Si Une Seul De Toutes Les Personnes Que Tu A Attaque Perd Son Poste. Nous Allons Faire Ta Peau Et Ta Fammille.A Bon Entendeur Salut"
Loosely translated, it reads: "This is the last warning. If you don't stop disturbing the staff of the Indomitable Lions and the Ministry, you, your wife and children will have it hot from us. If any of those people lose their job, we will skin you and your entire family. A word to the wise is sufficient."
Taninche told The Post that he got out of the house on the day in question only to discover the letter in a white envelope under a table beside his house.The threat letter had no signature and no date, Taninche said. "So, I reported the matter to a bailiff, Barrister Thomas Biyik of the Yaounde Court of Appeal, who came to the scene and made an official report.
It should be recalled that Fernand Taninche claims that he mediated in the appointment of the German technician in October 2007, for a "commission", but that Pfister failed to respect his commitments.
Taninche told The Post that, "I lodged a complaint for breach of trust and fraud, and I have resorted to court action because Pfister failed to respect the terms of the agreement. I was supposed to receive FCFA 34 million from him".
"After various negotiations with Otto Pfister and his son, Mike Pfister, they agreed to pay me 20 percent of all his (Otto Pfister's) gains in Cameroon as commission after the signing of his contract, but I have not received a franc."
According to Taninche, the matter is still pending in court in Yaounde, where preliminary investigations are still going on.The Post learnt that Pfister had to abandon training sessions on two occasions to answer questions on the matter.
Meanwhile, Otto Pfister, in a press conference that held at the conference hall of the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education March 7, 2008, acknowledged that Fernand Taninche, Ajax Amsterdam representative in Cameroon, was actually proposed 20 percent of the recruitment deal.
But he said when he presented the situation to the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, he (the Minister) rejected it.Talking about the threats, Teninche said he has refused to bulge. "I will pursue the matter to its logical end. No amount of threat can dissuade me."
Though the source of the threat is unknown, some observers were quick to point out that the threat letter could be stemming from Sports and Physical Education Minister, Augustine Edjoa's sympathisers.
Ministry, FECAFOOT Fight
Edjoa, on his part, had intensified the wrangling between Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, and the Ministry by appointing Otto Pfister as Head Coach to the dismay of the FECAFOOT officials.
Edjoa's appointment of Pfister was at variance with a shortlist of five pre-selected candidates FECAFOOT had presented to the Ministry. The FECAFOOT list had, in order of priority, another German contender, Horst Koppel, erstwhile coach of the Lions, Artur Jorge, Frenchman, Phillipe Troussier, Jean Thissen and Manfred Steves.
The shortlist was drawn from a list of some 80 applicants to coach the Indomitable Lions.
At the behest of the Presidency, a joint commission, comprising members
of FECAFOOT and the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, met to
scrutinise the pre-selected list, which FECAFOOT submitted to the
Minister from which one person was to be appointed coach.
Against expectations, Edjoa chose Otto Pfister, who ranked 11th out of the 80 candidates. This flaw in the procedure of the appointment of the coach ignited a fight between the Sports Ministry, Otto Pfister and FECAFOOT.
It is suspected that, with the imminent cabinet reshuffle, Edjoa's sympathisers fear that if Taninche continues with the case, the truth on how Pfister was appointed would come to the limelight and might cost the Minister his job.
Some FECAFOOT officials, who preferred anonymity, said the death threats on Taniche's life could be coming from Indomitable Lions Assistant Coach, Gweha Ikouam's camp. Gweha, it should be known, is Minister Edjoa's acquaintance and was allegedly appointed on that basis, not by merit.
Cameroon's Roving Ambassador, Albert Roger Milla-led commission, which was put in place after the 2008 African Cup of Nations to evaluate the performance of the Lions, called for the immediate sacking of the Lions technical bench for incompetence.
But FECAFOOT stated that it did not recognise the German technician as the coach of Cameroon and was not part of the signatory of Pfister's contract.Though FECAFOOT has refused to endorse the technical bench till date, they have been forced to operate with it.
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