CAMEROON-SPORT/POLITICS: SCORING GOVERNMENT GOALS WITH FOOTBALL

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

ETIENNE TASSE

DOUALA, Mar 15 1995 (IPS) - THE POPULARITY OF FOOTBALL HAS MADE IT A VALUABLE AND FREQUENTLY EXPLOITED POLITICAL TOOL IN CAMEROON SINCE 1990, WHEN THE MULTI-PARTY WIND OF CHANGE LASHED THIS CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRY.

THE BRILLIANT PERFORMANCE OF THE NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM, THE ‘INDOMITABLE LIONS’, AT THE 1990 WORLD CUP FINAL IN ITALY — WHEN SUPERSTAR ROGER MILLA INTRODUCED HIS CELEBRATORY WIGGLE TO THE WORLD — PUT CAMEROON, AND AFRICA, SQUARELY ON THE GLOBAL FOOTBALL MAP.

AT HOME, THE LIONS’ PERFORMANCES SO HYPNOTISED ENGLISH AND FRENCH-SPEAKING CAMEROONIANS THAT THEY SHELVED THEIR DEEP-SEATED DIFFERENCES OF MORE THAN 30 YEARS TO UNITE IN SUPPORT OF THEIR HEROES.

LATER IN 1992, PRESIDENT PAUL BIYA DECLARED A NATIONAL HOLIDAY TO MARK THE INDOMITABLE LIONS’ 3-1 HOME VICTORY OVER ZIMBABWE, A WIN THAT QUALIFIED CAMEROON FOR THE 1994 U.S. WORLD CUP FINAL.

BIYA CASHED IN ON THIS NATIONAL LOVE AFFAIR WITH FOOTBALL TO QUASHED A NATIONWIDE GENERAL STRIKE CALLED BY THE PREDOMINANTLY ENGLISH-SPEAKING OPPOSITION, WHICH WAS ALLEGING RAMPANT FRAUD IN THE 1992 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS.

IN A RECENTLY TELEVISED INTERVIEW, BIYA — A CIVILIAN KNOWN FOR HIS INTOLERANCE OF POLITICAL OPPOSITION — WARNED THE COUNTRY’S YOUTH AGAINST ACCEPTING “TO BE INSTRUMENTS OF OUTDATED IDEOLOGIES AND UNHEALTHY AMBITIONS WHICH THREATEN CIVIL PEACE”.

“THE YOUTH THEMSELVES CAN ALSO BE AN EXAMPLE,” BIYA SAID. “I AM THINKING IN PARTICULAR OF OUR YOUNG ‘INDOMITABLE LIONS’, WHO HAVE JUST DONE US PROUD, WHO HAVE JUST HONOURED US BY WINNING THE FOOTBALL JUNIOR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS”.

MANIPULATION OF FOOTBALL FOR PERSONAL ADVANTAGE IN THIS COUNTRY OF 11.5 MILLION PEOPLE HAS BECOME SO COMMON AMONG THE RULING CLASS THAT THEY ARE EVEN ACCUSED OF MEDDLING IN THE NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY, THE CAMEROONIAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (FECAFOOT).

FOR INSTANCE, THE HEAD OF STATE HAS APPOINTED HIMSELF PATRON OF FOOTBALL AND EVEN MAKES DECISIONS ON WHO GETS SELECTED.

ON THE EVE OF THE NATIONAL TEAM’S DEPARTURE FOR THE U.S. 1994 WORLD CUP, FECAFOOT’S CENTRAL COMMITTEE FIRED ITS PRESIDENT, PASCAL OWONA, FOR ALLEGED MISMANAGEMENT AND IN HIS PLACE VOTED IN MAHA DAHER.

THE BELLIGERENT OWONA REJECTED THE JUDGMENT AND CLUNG TO HIS POST WITH THE SUPPORT OF PRIME MINISTER SIMON ACHIDI ACHU, WHO WROTE TO THE MINISTER OF SPORTS, BERNARD MASSOU II, STATING:

“IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, OF WHICH I INFORMED YOU IN MY PREVIOUS CORRESPONDENCE, I REQUEST YOU TO ASK THE PERSONS WHO CLAIM TO CONSTITUTE THE BODY WHICH RESULTED FROM A MEETING OF THE FECAFOOT CENTRAL COMMITTEE WHICH I FORBADE, TO CEASE ALL INVOLVEMENT IN ITS DAILY RUNNING.”

THE PRIME MINISTER DECLARED NULL AND VOID ALL “RESOLUTIONS AND DEEDS WHICH RESULTED FROM THIS FORBIDDEN MEETING.”

“THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT FAIL TO TAKE ALL COERCIVE AND ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURES IN CASES WHERE THEIR BEHAVIOUR WHICH SERIOUSLY THREATENS PUBLIC ORDER CONTINUES AFTER THIS CALL FOR ORDER,” ACHU ADDED, CONCLUDING: “PLEASE NOTIFY ME OF YOUR COMPLIANCE FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC.”

THIS DECREE PUT THE SPORTS MINISTER — WHO HAD ATTENDED THE MEETING AND BACKED THE NEW PRESIDENT — IN A DIFFICULT POSITION. AND THE SHOWDOWN TOOK A NEW TWIST WITH THE INTERVENTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (FIFA).

“FIFA OFFICIALLY RECOGNISES MR DAHER MAHA AS PRESIDENT OF THE CAMEROONIAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION UNTIL THE END OF HIS TERM OF OFFICE,” FIFA SECRETARY GENERAL, SEPP BLATTER, WROTE TO FECAFOOT.

“IF GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE IN THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CAMEROONIAN FOOTBALL FEDERATION PERSISTS, FIFA WILL BE FORCED TO SUSPEND THIS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,” BLATTER THREATENED. “WE CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT SUCH A SUSPENSION WOULD PREVENT THE CAMEROONIAN NATIONAL TEAM FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE NEXT WORLD CUP IN 1994.”

FACED WITH THIS POTENTIALLY DISASTEROUS EVENTUALITY, THE PRIME MINISTER BACKED DOWN AND RECOGNISED DAHER. BEAMING AT THE INSTALLATION OF DAHER, OVER WHICH HE PRESIDED, MASSOU II ANNOUNCED:

“THERE IS NO NEED TO TELL YOU WHAT A GREAT VICTORY THIS IS. WHAT WE ARE CELEBRATING TODAY IS THE VICTORY OF REASON, THE VICTORY OF NATIONAL INTEREST OVER THE EGOTISTICAL AND THE PARTISAN”.

THIS VICTORY WILL BE SHORTLIVED. THE SPORTS MINISTER AND FECAFOOT ARE LIKELY TO BE RELIEVED OF THEIR FUNCTIONS BY THE TWO NEW BODIES — THE TECHNICAL ORGANISATION COMMITTEE (CTO) AND MONITORING HIGH COMMITTEE (HCS).

CREATED BY A PRESIDENTIAL DECREE IN 1993, THE CTO AND HCS ARE GOVERNED BY “A PERSON APPOINTED BY A PRESIDENTIAL DECREE” AND THE PRIME MINISTER RESPECTIVELY.

THE CTO WILL BE CHARGED WITH MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS AND PUTTING INTO EFFECT THE ADMINISTRATION’S DECISIONS, WHILE THE HCS MUST “EXAMINE AND REGULARLY SUBMIT THE CTO’S SUGGESTIONS TO THE PRESIDENT”, WHO WILL PERSONALLY DIRECT THE NEW BODIES.

HALF OF THE CTO MEMBERS, INCLUDING ITS PRESIDENT, NGUEWA OMER, ARE INFLUENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE RULING CAMEROONIAN PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC UNION (RDPC).