By Nformi Sonde Kinsai
The recently appointed General Manager, GM, of the Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, French-born, Patrick Precheur, has, barely a month in office, confirmed that management at the institution is not the best. He made the declaration at a press
conference in Yaounde on July 14 organised by the President of the Federation, Iya Mohammed.
On his first impression about FECAFOOT, Precheur said the image of the Federation is smeared. He went ahead to outline lack of solidarity, indiscipline, no precise organisational chart, wastage of resources, amongst others, as issues ailing the Federation. He noted that the image of FECAFOOT needs urgent cleansing which must go along with a change in the mentality of its personnel.
Precheur said medium and long-term objectives, which shall embody the broadening of sources of income for the Federation, development of football infrastructure in the country, etc, must be set.
Reacting to questions bordering on his doubtful management qualities, Precheur said he has a diploma which encompasses all aspects of management. He talked of a number of posts of responsibilities where he exercised his managerial skills.
Prior to Precheur's declarations, Iya had briefed journalists on the deliberations of FECAFOOT Executive Committee meeting which held between July 13 and 14. He said during the meeting, the members evaluated the first round of D1 Championship, recruitment and transfer of players, performances of national clubs at the continental level as well as the performances of the national team at the joint eliminatory phase for the African Nations Cup and the World Cup qualifications.
He said Precheur was also presented officially to other executive members and added that he (Precheur) is already in possession of a resident permit and a signed contract by the Minister Sports and Physical Education. Stating that the new GM started work on June 15, Iya noted that Precheur's situation with the state and FECAFOOT is in order.
On the finances of the Federation, Iya said the treasury is quite scanty especially as the much needed subventions from the state has not been forthcoming. He also talked of enormous sums FECAFOOT dished out in support of national clubs that were engaged in continental competitions with virtually nothing coming in return.
Iya revealed that a day to their Executive Committee meeting, Hotel Makombé blocked the Federation's bank account over a debt of FCFA 700 million. He, however, noted that part of the money has been paid even though his team is being harassed over a debt they inherited from their predecessors.
He added that there is even no piece of paper indicating how that debt was incurred.
Noting that Europe is apparently saturated, he said the Federation is making arrangements with an American company to create outlets for the recruitment of young Cameroonian footballers in Canada, Central and North America.
He quoted an example of how hundreds of Cameroonians who went for test matches in Europe all came back after the exercise. Precheur has been given the go-ahead to negotiate with the American company.
In reaction to the poor management of FECAFOOT as observed by Precheur, Iya argued that the latter's comparison is with the European management style, which is far different from what obtains in Africa.
He said he has never pretended that all is well at FECAFOOT and enumerated a gamut of problems his team inherited and have been grappling with the since 1990.
"A good part of our resources go to pay lawyers to handle cases which we did not create," Iya said. He said if by the end of their mandate, 80 percent of their objectives were attained they would be satisfied.
The First Vice President of the Federation, Jean Réné Atangana Mballa, also spoke on the various infrastructural projects of FECAFOOT. He said there are plans to create playgrounds in some towns across the country, in collaboration with local councils and the elite of the said areas.
French born my lass. So we don,t have Cameroonian that can do the job. Cameroon is no more under colonial rule. goat
Posted by: Grandstevo | Monday, 18 July 2005 at 04:39 PM
It's really a shame that the government of la republic du ameroun an't manage they own federation.Do u guys mean the that post can't manage by a ameroonain?Mr pual piya don't let ur future to be like sadam husine.Frenh born my lass.
Posted by: akwese valery | Monday, 18 July 2005 at 05:27 PM
It's really a shame that the government of la republic du cameroun can't manage they own federation.Do u guys mean the that post can't manage by a cameroonain?Mr pual piya don't let ur future to be like sadam husine.French born my lass.
Posted by: akwese valery | Monday, 18 July 2005 at 05:29 PM
We should not express any surprise at this juncture. The way Cameroonians especially leaders have handled their responsibilities have proven beyond doubts that we could instead achieve better development through our former colonial masters.What an irony? This means that colonial masters loved Cameroon better Cameroonians did. If not which patriotic citizen will want to divert public funds into foreign banks and watch her/his country rot the way Cameroon is doing? Oil is being depleted on a daily basis, timber is being rushed to be shipped to Europe on a daily basis, the list can continue but no major development is being done in the country in return for these. We prefer foreigners(french born as proudly noted above) to manage our resources. What a shame?
Our situation may be better today because we still see the old infrastructure that the Germans and our god father(France if at all France did anything) left behind. By the time of our grand children, everything must have degraded beyond recognition and nothing will be available( oil, timber etc) to start everything from scratch. What a curse to be a citizen of a country where the leaders see the world only around themselves, not even a neigbour and not to talk of the future generations. Narrow roads are constructed to last as long as the minister monitoring the construction can still be in office. Town planning exists on papers but actual constructions are in total contradiction through the help of the very officials keeping the papers. The list is so long and will just be redondant to Cameroonians who know everything so well about our corrupt practices. Our leaders are wolves and I wonder what crime we committed in the face of God to deserve such leaders.
Corruption being the sole cause of this malaise, is taking the government forever to move a step against it. An effort of the government to take a step has always taken them ten steps behind where they started. The main problem is that the highest corrupt practices are perpetuated by the so called untouchables. If God truely ordained them to use us the way they are doing and drain a rich country like Cameroon, then we should only thank God for that as the bible says.
However, no condition is permanent here on earth. Lets watch and see.
Posted by: Ambien | Monday, 18 July 2005 at 09:12 PM
here we come again. One day we will bring the french to run our kitchens. After ROBERT CORFU has done nothing better than impregnate female national football team players, here we come again with more French men while Cameroonians go unemployed.
SHAME!!!!!!!!WHAT TYPE OF SHITSTEM DO WE HAVE IN CAMEROON?
Posted by: Ras, USA | Monday, 18 July 2005 at 09:49 PM
Our experience with our so-called leaders have shown that foreigner are the better of the two evils. They will at least do their jobs as professionals. If the Kumba Manfe road was given even to a French official rather than Tabong Kima, we would have been using the road for 19 years already and if the ring road was given to be supervised by the British and not Nkwain and Achidi Achu, we would have been having a ring road now for 14 years.
Given that there was development and the lives of the people better under colonial powers than under their agents like the present government, I therefore prefer a better evil which in this case are foreigners
Posted by: Francis Nche | Tuesday, 19 July 2005 at 11:30 AM
It is so rediculous to realize that we cannot manage ourselves. This is a big blow on the face of Cameroonians who could equally handle the post. How comes a foreigner is more trust worthy to manage our resourses than what we can do. What hurts my feelings is how much the salary and allowances of such a person can be. That may pay up to 10 equally qualified Cameroonians. But we have proven beyond doubts that the best way is to embezzle and not to manage. I wish we finally import ministers, directors to help develop this country. Shame on Cameroonian leaders. May God curse you all.
Posted by: Ambien | Tuesday, 19 July 2005 at 03:48 PM
Whilst I would normally oppose the idea of foreigners taking up top posts in Cameroon, in this case I can understand the frustration with previous Cameroonians who have been given the job of running Fecafoot.
These people have shown themselves to be tribal warriors who cannot think beyond tribal boundaries, or to lack any sort of personality that can handle differences in opinion or wider diversity issues.
The root cause of all the problems though is the example (or misexample) that the Head of State and his entourage have set for Cameroonian people.
Government actions and decisions do not transcend tribal divisions. Instead tribalism is at the forefront of all their thoughts. They sleep tribalism, drink tribalism, and eat tribalism, and then expect the people to do differently.
Cameroonian bosses and managers simply relive the very examples that their government sets for them. In Cameroon everything is politically oriented. Managers employ the political tools of lying, lose-talking, false promises, false accusations, divide and conquer, corruption and embezzlement, opaque management, dark forces, etc. and then hope that somehow God will make the organisations they run succeed.
Most of the time one wonders whether these people ever received education, or perhaps they did their education in the days when just having a pass (instead of going for first-class honours) was the defining line of (low-mentality) African educational achievement.
It is therefore not surprising that top jobs in Cameroon are often given to mere-pass or third-class honours people (who compensate for their average or sub-average intelligence by mastering the dark powers of society - bribing and corrupting their way through the echelons of society) instead of to first-class honours people (whose noble intellect and upright nature preclude them from practising dark power).
The Cameroonian and African society is a topsy-turvy (up-side-down) society in which first-class people are at the bottom and average/sub-average people are at the top. It is a case of the blind leading the competent. How can we then expect the society to succeed?
And the more incompetent people are, at the top, the more they lack ideas, the more dark power they execute, and, because of their position, the more contempt they show to the first-class people at the bottom (whose ideas they never want to know about). To these buffoons management is 'chop a chop', and the greatest 'chopper' is the leader of the land, the President of the country.
While in the West people push themselves in their jobs seeking to prove themselves, by demonstrating their ability and aspiring towards high achievement so that they may be rewarded with a high salary, promotion, and bonuses (and as such contribute their part towards nation building), in Cameroon and Africa people occupy themselves with mastering the dark powers of society so that they can buy their way to the top (i.e. take the easy way out, like headless chicken) where they can continue their excellent job of executing dark power and thereby contributing to national destruction.
The continuous practice of executing dark power in Cameroon has been so effective that the task of national destruction is almost complete! It only remains to stick the knife into the heart.
The appointment of a Frenchman into the top job at Fecafoot because of the need for neutrality suggests that we need to do something on a country-wide scale to nurture such neutrality in our own citizens. We can do so through the following measures:
1) Put a ban on all tribal and divisive or destructive tendencies in the country. We can even enact a law against tribalism and other forms of divisions.
2) Educate people against tribalism and other divisive or destructive tendencies. Make people appreciate other tribes and their contributions to society. Lessen the tension between tribes and promote a spirit of co-operation, understanding, and trust between tribes.
3) Stop the government practice of appointing people on a tribal basis and thus encouraging tribalism in the country. People should be appointed on merit and on the basis of their achievements and education.
4) Require that people should only be appointed to higher jobs (and especially top-jobs) if, among other things, they have demonstrated an ability to transcend tribal thinking in their previous decision making.
5) People caught promoting tribalism and other destructive behaviour should be dismissed from their jobs.
6) Appoint only ministers, state officials, etc. who have demonstrated a transcendency of tribal thinking in all their previous deliberations.
7) Above all, the President should bring to an end his tendency to exemplify tribalism to the nation through paying too much emphasis on his own tribes-people and tribes-land at the expense of all other tribes of the country. For instance, the President should end the practice of appointing only people from his tribe to the highest positions in the land and of concentrating almost all economic development to his tribes-land. Economic development should occur first in the most promising areas of the land, which can generate funds for developing the less promising areas. This does not mean that the President should abandon his own area and tribes people, as he will never be forgiven by his people. Common sense is what is called for!
Posted by: Dr A A Agbormbai | Wednesday, 20 July 2005 at 07:28 PM