ACTUALITE |
24.05.2002
Japanese villagers cheer long-awaited arrival of Cameroon squad
TOKYO
Some 150 residents of Nakatsue, a remote Japanese village at the foot of a smouldering volcano, held a pre-dawn welcoming ceremony Friday for the long-delayed arrival of Cameroon`s World Cup squad.
"When I saw their airplane, I thought this was the moment of the century," said 71-year-old village mayor Yasumu Sakamoto.
"Today, your arrival is no longer a dream," Sakamoto told the 37-strong delegation of the Olympic and African champions as he rushed to shake the hands of jet-lagged players after a bizarre five-day delay.
The ceremony was recorded and broadcast as the top national item on network television news bulletins.
Parents woke up their children to get a glimpse of the players as the ceremony took place after 3:00 am (1800 GMT).
"I am so relieved that they are finally here," said a official in Nakatsue, some 1,400 kilometers (868 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The village does not have an airport as the team arrived by a three-hour bus ride from Fukuoka.
"We have not been sleeping that much because of the delay but I am very glad to have them now," the official said, adding the village of 1,308 inhabitants had decorated roads and buildings with Cameroon flags and welcoming banners.
The delay was caused by an alleged dispute over bonus payments and the absence of flyover permits over Southeast Asia.
The Cameroon squad are now expected to spend two days in the village which has drawn unexpected media attention due to the team`s delay.
They are scheduled to play Japan`s second-division club Saga Tosu in nearby Tosu later Friday before heading to the port of Kobe on Saturday for an friendly against England on Sunday.
After a full day in Nakatsue on Monday, they will move to the central city of Fujiyoshida at the foot of Mount Fuji.
They launch their bid for Africa`s first World Cup trophy on June 1 against Ireland in group E which also includes Germany and Saudi Arabia.
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