Photo - World Cup Draw

National soccer team coaches Morten Olsen of Denmark, Bert van Marwijk of the Netherlands and Paul Le Guen of Cameroon are pictured after the 2010 World Cup draw in Cape Town December 4, 2009. The month-long soccer tournament begins on June 11 next year in South Africa. (c) Reuters  

Comments

[Gan Charles]

All of the Lions coaches are white and foreign. A'm I to believe that there are no Cameroonians qualified to coach the Lions?
I would think that we can find Cameroonians or other Africans with the intelligence and experience necessary to coan a world class team.

[Kumbaboy]

Gan,

You asked a good question! Despite nearly 60 years of independence, a very high literacy rate and professional skills - many of us Cameroonians still lack one thing. That thing could be described as an "even temperament".

I mean the ability to tone down impulsiveness, execute fairness, be even handed, exert influence without throwing invectives, bring decorum and a facts-based approach to a job so as to be taken seriously by the other side. We are not yet good at these things. A Cameroonian coach needs these abilities to be taken seriously by overseas clubs where most Lions play for a living.

This weakness permeates our societies. Remember the "boxing Ambassador" incident recently. A leader, once in office, stays in office and becomes very dismissive of the legitimate aspirations of his contemporaries. It is a deficit in a key aspect of human development.

[Bob Bristol]

Kumba Boy,

Your ability to point out the above, which I can also affirm as the A-Z in leadership, is enough proof that you can take charge; if these values keep ringing in your mind. But other factors come into play. The pay package of Le Guen far surpasses what can be dished out to the most qualified with the skin colour you and I have. Another issue is that of respect. It will take more than you can imagine for an African coach to get the due respect from his subordinates, talk less of the players.

At the end of the day, all boils down to mentality. Most of the players are college dropouts seeking international exposure. The myth of white superiority is still deeply entrenched in them; just like most uneducated blacks. If a black coach doesn't have ample support ( not interference ) from the government, he would get all sort of shit from the players.

The advantage of having a Cameroonian coach is obvious too. At least the jaw breaking salaries which they get can be reinvested in the country.

[Bob Bristol]

Kumba Boy,

Nothing exposes the deep rooted inferiority complex in Africans like the decision to select a national team coach. I totally agree with you that at the moment, most Africans lack the ability "to tone down impulsiveness, execute fairness, be even handed, exert influence without throwing invectives, bring decorum and a facts-based approach to a job so as to be taken seriously by the other side". But by constantly reminding yourself to steak to these values, you can take the charge. We have to move ahead.

Gen Charles, it will take more than just "experience and intelligence" for an African coach to succeed with an African team. The myth of white superiority is still deeply entrenched in most of the players. Don't forget that most of them are college dropouts seeking international exposure. And the few who have had it already, would think themselves too much for the man in charge. Humility escapes most Africans when they think that they are "extremely rich".

But African gov'ts too share the blame. Can the gov't of Cameroon offer the same pay package that Le Guen has to an African coach? I mean, they forget that the jaw breaking amount may be reinvested in the continent; a continent badly in need of investment ventures. Mental slavery is the biggest nightmare facing Africans.