By Innocent Mbunwe
Who will be the Indomitable Lions new coach? This is the million-dollar question that is waggling the tongues of Cameroonians of all works of life.
The question arose after Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, put a bid for tender for the recruitment of a Coach for the Indomitable Lions.This is coming at a time when expatriates as well as nationals have been at the helm of the team since 1972, some with brilliant and others pitiable results.
The bid for a new Coach has divided Cameroonians into different shades of opinion as to whether the National Team needs an expatriate or a national.Cameroon Football Federation, FECAFOOT, and the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education are also divided on who to coach the Lions.
According to sources, while the ministry prefers a national because it will be cost effective, the federation wants a foreigner to avoid corruption. They argue that foreigners too may be corrupt but the degree of corruption is what matters.
Others hold the opinion that only an expatriate coach can bring order and serenity to the Lion's den, for home based coaches do not have the audacity to control stars like Samuel Eto'o, Rigobert Song, Geremi Njitap and others whose financial status supersede that of home based coaches.
It is worthy to note that, constitutionally; the National Team is a state property, reason why the ministry is in charge of the day-to-day financial running of the team.But according to the World Governing soccer Body, FIFA, the federation is the association they recognise when it comes to managing the National Team.
On Tuesday, July 17, FECAFOOT tendered a bid for Indomitable Lions new coach and gave August 6, as deadline for submission of candidatures. FECAFOOT on Wednesday, August 8, published a list of 78 postulants for the job from 21 countries.
The Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Augustine Edjoa and FECAFOOT boss, Iya Mohammed, after several meetings agreed to tender the bid but did not come to a compromise on whether an alien or home based coach is preferable.
A new coach is will be announced before August 22, the date for the friendly encounter between Cameroon and Japan.Amongst the 78 applicants are five Cameroonians with the name of interim coach, Jules Nyongha conspicuously present. Michel Kaham, Jean Paul Akono, Francois Omam Biyick and Monkam Tchokonte, all nationals eying the job.
Also, there are nine Germans, six Portugese including former Lions' Coach Arthur George, four Argentineans and two Belgians, all vying for the joy.World soccer powerhouse, Brazil, has eight candidates followed by current World Cup holders, Italy, with 12 applicants.
Also 11 French coaches filed in applications with the likes of former Marseille and AC Millian striker, Jean Pierre Papin, and Philippe Troussier.Dependable sources from The Ministry of Sports and Physical Education, told The Post that Minister Augustine Edjoa prefers a particular candidate from France.
Our neighbouring Nigeria also has one candidate, Amodu Shaibu, for the coaching job.
FECAFOOT will hand a list of five short listed coaches to the Ministry for final selection.
List and Nationalities Of the 78 Candidates
Germany
1. Werner Reich
2. Otto Pfister
3. Christoph Ebner
4. Hans-Dieter Adolf Schmidt
5. Regi Van Acker
6. Laszlo Csaba
7. Andy Egli
8. Manfred Steves
9. Horst Köppel
Argentina
1. Olguin Jorge Mario
2. Angel A. Cappa
3. Reinaldo Carlos Merlo
4. Carlos Cavagnaro
Belgium
1. Tom Saintfiet
2. Jean Thissen
Bosnia
1. Nenad Starovlah
Brazil
1. Gilson Nunes
2. Maicos Boccatto
3. Joao Augusto Alves
4. Edmon Tavares
5. Antonio Oliveira Filho
6. Carlos Roberto Ferreira Cabral
7. Carlos Alberto Torres
8. Cyro Leaes
Cameroon
1. François Omam Biyik
2. Monkam Tchokonte Silvain Alain
3. Jules Frederic Nyongha
4. Jean Paul Akono
5. Michel Kaham
Chili
1. Fernando Diaz Seguel
Denmark
1. Tommy Moller Hielson
2. Flemming Serritslav
Spain
1. Mario Reig Leffler
2. José Ignacio Riballo Recio
3. Ildefonso Garcia Campos
4. Gregoria Yanguas Munoz
5. Esteban Rodriguez Robles
France
1. Laurent Fournier
2. Hubert Velud
3. Gilbert Gress
4. Jean-Michel Brouet
5. Gilles Hugon
6. Joachim Marx
7. René Lobello
8. Philippe Troussier
9. Ladislas Lozano
10. Jean-Pierre Papin
11. Victor Zvunka
Hungary
1. Bertalan Bicskei
Italy
1. Salvatore Adornetto
2. Campanini Pier Francesco
3. Stefano Vertua
4. Roberto Landi
5. Paolo Galimberti
6. Manlio Zanini
7. Giuseppe De Palo
8. Francesco Moreiro
9. Alberto Mastro
10. Andrea La Rosa
11. Achille Baronio
12. Fabio Izzo
13. Paolo Berrettini
Nigeria
2. Amodu Shaibu
Holland
1. Willem Oosting
Peru
1. Navarro Monteiro Franco Enrique
Portugal
1. Artur Jorge
2. Pedro Manuel Oliveira Sousa
3. Mario Domingos Reis
4. Nuno Miguel Mogadouro Couto
5. Fernando Cunha Santos
6. Nuno Alexandre
Poland
1. Wojciech Lazarek
Romania
1. Dorian Marin
Slovenia
1. Ivo Sajh Scheich
United Kingdom
1. Stewart John Hall
2. Shaun Kemp
3. Peter Butler
Uruguay
1. Maor Rozen
Its not our concern who is going to be the coach of the la republique national football team.Soccer is an english tradition but la republique is doing all it can to destroy the southern cameroons' talent in football.The illusioned ones claim that they are part of la republique but when u look at her national team,you see very strange names that sound very alien to the southern cameroons.The Southern cameroons has more talented footballers,karatekers,swimmers,boxers,and so on but these are some of the talents la republique is trying to suppress and destroy.Unfortunately,the Southern cameroons is already aboard the train to liberation.We've got players like Mbaka Mulema of Mutengene,had he been given the chance he would do far better than Eto'o.
Peace Shall Reign on our Motherland.
Legima Doh,
ScNc
Posted by: Legima Doh | Friday, 10 August 2007 at 05:38 PM