GEF's Outlook

Somen scores, Nkoulou on the bench again: How Le Guen's men fared this weekend

As the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon gather in Yaounde ahead of their double-header against Gabon on the 5th and 9th of September, Somen A Tchoyi was the only one in the 22 Europe based players to score for his club this weekend.

He thundered in a header to score the second goal for Red Bulls Salzburg that beat KSV Superfund 3-0 in the Austrian superleague. The Bulls are now topping the league in Austria.

Samuel Eto'o played his most elaborate game in an Inter shirt (although he did not score) when the Italian champions destroyed their city rivals Milan 4-0. He gave width, depth and fluidity to Inter's game. He obtained a penalty when Gatusso fouled him in the 18 yard box which, Milito scored.

Eto'o, Meyong, Makoun Score in European Football Leagues this Weekend

By George Esunge Fominyen

Samuel Eto'o Fils scored on Sunday from the penalty spot in his Italian Serie "A" debut for Inter Milan which drew 1-1 with FC Bari.

"I am satisfied with his [Eto'o's] performance today but, of course, I expect him to improve each week," Inter's manager, José Mourinho, told pressmen after the game.

The Cameroonian striker told pressmen that his team still needs to work harder and stay focused to attain their objectives for the season.

Eto'o, who told French TV channel TF1 that his biggest wish for the moment was to see Cameroon qualify for the 2010 World Cup, was not the only member of Paul Le Guen's 22 man list for the World Cup qualifiers against Gabon to have scored for his team. Here is a round-up of Lions in action this weekend.  

Cameroon Duo Gives Spurs Victory Over Liverpool in Le Guen's Presence

Cameroon's Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Sébastien Bassong Sunday scored the two goals that helped Tottenham Hotspur beat Liverpool FC 2-1 in the last game of the opening day of play in the English premier league.

Both men scored in the presence of the Indomitable Lions manager, Paul Le Guen, who was at White Hart Lane as a pundit for the French television channel Canal+.

Generally a very controlled person, Le Guen's pride could be felt in his voice as he responded to the screams by the french commentator who reminded his viewers at every occasion that the two players were Cameroon internationals and Le Guen's  is their manager.

Cameroon Pair Gives Spurs Victory Over Liverpool

Cameroon's Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Sebastian Bassong Sunday scored the two goals that helped Tottenham Hotspur beat Liverpool FC 2-1 in the last game of the opening day of play in the English premier league.

Assou-Ekotto shot spurs into the lead with a devastating left foot strike at the 43rd minute of the game. It was his first goal for his club since he moved from France.

**Indomitable Lions Need More Than Just A New Coach

Cameroon's Minister of Sport and Physical Education has confirmed the appointment of Paul Le Guen as head coach of the country's football team. His statement also confirmed French media reports that Le Guen would come along with his assistant, and a physiotherapist. This sparked controversy as some local media and posters on online forums  wondered why he should come with a crew and criticised government's decision not to name Cameroonians as his assistants.

The following article, originally published in September 2007 in the Herald newspaper's column: Geof's Game Plan, is in favour of a big staff with clearly defined roles and picked by the head coach. Considered from that perspective, a staff of three (pending further appointments) is not even enough for the Lions!

Song Bahanag Injured as Ivory Coast Beats Cameroon

Cameroon may have to play their crucial World Cup qualifier against Gabon without their captain, Rigobert Song, after he sustained a serious shoulder injury in a friendly against Ivory Coast which, Cameroon lost 2-1.

The charity game, in memory of the Ivorians who died in a stadium stampede last March, confirmed the Lion's inability to set-up offensive play, but the coaches will take comfort in Marcus Mokake's goal that broke a two match goal drought.

June 8: The Day the Lions put Cameroon on the World Map

It was 8 June 1990 and the opening game of the FIFA World Cup in Italy. Cameroon was up against reigning world champions Argentina. At the 65th minute of play, Francois Omam Biyick rose high (his boots reaching and Argentine defenders shoulder) and met the ball from a deflected Emmanuel Kunde free-kick. The header was stunning. The Argentine goalkeeper, Pompidou, fumbled and the ball wriggled into the net. It was Cameroon 1 – Argentina 0. (Listen to commentary below)

That was the final score line. The Indomitable Lions became the first sub-Saharan African team to win a match at the FIFA World Cup. Being the tournament opener and against an Argentina side that included Diego Maradona, the world’s best footballer at the time, this caught the international media spotlight. FFootball had put Cameroon on the world map.

Cameroon v Argentina Italy 1990 .mp3 -

Indomitable Lions: Remember 27 March 1988

By George Esunge Fominyen

Does the date 27 March 1988 mean anything to you? If you are a fan of the Indomitable Lions it should. This day 21 years ago at the Mohammed V stadium in Casablanca-Morocco the Cameroon national football team won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time. They beat Nigeria 1-0 in the final (listen to highlights below). As fate would have it, it was against the same Nigeria that they won their first trophy in 1984  and their third in 2000.

Cameroon v Nigeria 1988 final - Commentary:Boh Herbert/Ayissi Essomba

The 'Pichichi' is Back!

By George Esunge Fominyen

18 goals in 18 matches in La Liga this season. That makes Samuel Eto'o the leading goal scorer in the Spanish football top flight. The Cameroonian has hit his most deadly form after being besieged by injuries in the last two years and branded an outcast last summer by his current coach - Pep Guardiola.The Lion in him has made a statement in the realm of soccer strikers - the Pichichi is back!

Beachside Wrestling in Tourist Haven called Mbour

A Wrestling Competition to Start-off 2009 in Cameroon

By George Esunge Fominyen

The traditional wrestling season has re-started in Senegal. As the crowds roared at the Demba Diop Stadium as one wrestler fell and another stood the ground, I must admit there was a fleeting bit of envy that crossed my mind.

Why can't we have such a huge event in Cameroon?

I am pleased to say at least one traditional wrestling festival will hold in Buea, Cameroon.

Good Luck Cotonsport Garoua!

I am going to miss an event I have dreamed of for the last 20something years of my existence! A Cameroonian football club playing the final of the African Champions League.

Eto'o Surprised the French Want Domenech Out

By George Esunge Fominyen

The President's Time...

How time flies and things stay the same in Cameroon. We are living another year when the date of the Cup of Cameroon is kept close to the President of the Republic's chest. Don't we have the right to know when this big event should take place?

The MTN Elite 1 championship ended over two months ago. The finalists of the Cup of Cameroon (Aigle Dschang and cotonsport Garoua) are known since July. The date of the final remains  mystery.The Ministry of Sports is allegedly stifling plans by the country's football governing body FECAFOOT to start the new season on 27 September 2008 until the Cup final is held in the presence of the President of the Republic.

Following is an article entitled "The President's Time..."from the column "Geof's Game Plan" published by the Herald newspaper in November 2007 in the In the middle of a similar mess. It's a shame to see that one simply has to change the dates and the names of the teams and the story will be same one year after...

Cape Verde versus Cameroon: For Heaven's Sake Where Did These Guys See Nkong?

On 6 September 2008, Cameroon's Indomitable Lions beat Cape Verde 2-1 in Praia. The victory enables Cameroon to qualify to the next stage of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Cameroon's winning goal was scored by Somen Achoyi who came in as a substitute to earn his first national team cap in style. But by some miracle most foreign media reports said the goal was scored by Alain Nkong...?

Mbango's Gold Medal and the Paradox of Cameroon's Sports Success Stories

By George Esunge Fominyen

The word legend which generally refers to a literary genre consisting of stories between myth and history, is also used in our every day conversation to describe someone with larger –than-life accomplishments whose fame is well-known. With back-to-back gold medal wins at the Olympics (2004 and 2008) Francoise Mbango Etone, has surely made it into that select club of Cameroonian legends. The story of the hurdles she skipped on the way to golden glory is an epitome of the unpredictability and paradox of Cameroonian sporting successes and failures.

A SWOT Analysis of Cub Lions' Performance at Beijing Olympics

By George Esunge Fominyen

Cameroon’s hopes of repeating their gold winning exploit at the Olympic Games in China ended on 16 August 2008. The cub indomitable Lions were beaten 2-0 by Brazil. The South Americans were led by Ronaldinho who was aged 20 when Cameroon knocked Brazil out at the very quarter finals stage of the competition eight years ago in Sydney, Australia. Having followed the qualifiers to this competition and the All Africa Games in which the U-23 Lions won their third consecutive gold medal, I had hoped they would give us much more pleasure with their vibrant football. Instead of pulling out knives to finish-off this pack of cub lions (as I observed some commentators do on Cameroon TV channels); I propose a SWOT analysis of their performance.

Reviving Traditional Wrestling in Cameroon

By George Esunge Fominyen

Traditional African wrestlers have been girding their loins for weeks, each having the ambition of emerging champion at the African Traditional Wrestling Championships hosted on 2 to 10 July 2008 by Senegal. A review of press articles on the event reveals that Senegal are the hot favourites with Niger, Mali, Togo, Ghana, Benin, Burkina Faso , Nigeria and Mauritania as the other participants. Painfully, Cameroon is absent from the list although there is a tradition of wrestling especially amongs the coastal ethnic groups and the Bakweris in particular.

Football: Is Cameroon Using a Hammer to Kill a Fly?

By George Esunge Fominyen

Cameroon’s national football team is currently cruising through the initial stage of the two-phase qualifiers to the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted in 2010 by South Africa and Angola respectively.


Looking at the Lions’ group that includes football minnows like Tanzania, Cape Verde and Mauritius some observers contend that Cameroon would emerge overall group winners even if they were to use a third rate side. So why are the Indomitable Lions playing their strongest men?

Eto’o, the Indomitable Lions, Cameroonian Journalists and Journalism

By George Esunge Fominyen

  The African qualifiers to the 2010 World Cup have started. In their opening match, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions beat the Cape Verde national team 2-0. This victory was over-shadowed by the row between the Cameroonian players and sports reporters. The height of which saw Samuel Eto’o physically assault Bony Phillipe (a reporter working for RTS radio) at a bungled press conference in Yaounde. There are two ways of analyzing this fracas between the star “Lion” and the press. Route 1: Eto’o was wrong and should be punished. Route 2: Cameroonian journalists merit such disrespect because they brought this upon themselves.