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Strict Jorge gets Cameroon off right (17.02.2005)
by FIFAworldcup.com
Cameroon coach Artur Jorge got off to a fine start at the helm of the Indomitable Lions on Wednesday 9 February. The Portuguese tactician led his new charges to a 1-0 friendly win over Senegal at Créteil, near Paris. The game proved a useful rehearsal for the forthcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany™ African Zone qualifiers. FIFAworldcup.com took the opportunity to spend a few days alongside Jorge as he settled into his new post.
The Senegal game was the former FC Porto and Paris Saint-Germain coach’s first chance to get to know some of his players, and he called up all of the side that was beaten by Germany (3-0) in Leipzig in November 2004. There were first call-ups for Eric Matoukou (Genk) and Benoit Angbwa (Lille) and returning to the squad came Olembe (Marseille), Emana (Toulouse) and Tchuisseu (FK Moscow).
When this sizeable squad convened at Créteil on the Monday, there was disappointment for those who had hoped to see Lauren back in the fold. The Arsenal star turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of the new coach and his mediator Patrick Mboma to end his self-imposed exile. Hampered by administrative problems, Jorge was also obliged to do without the services of three players from the Cameroon league, who were taking part in the CEMAC (Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l`Afrique Centrale) Cup.
“To be honest, I already knew some of the players, but not all of them,” admitted the Portuguese at the close of the first training session. “We’ve got some real quality, the young players worked hard, and some of them are very strong.” As is his wont, the Lusitanian schemer avoided naming names, thereby promoting togetherness rather than individuality.
”We need to win five out of five!”
For the second session on the Tuesday morning, Jorge’s team of two assistants, Raul Aguas and Jules Nyongha, was complemented by the arrival of Jacques Songo`o as goalkeeping coach. The former Cameroon international, who occupied the same post at Deportivo La Coruna, has been brought in “to provide the benefit of his experience to the young players, who regard him as an elder brother.”
Another addition to the Indomitable Lions’ backroom staff is Yannick Noah. The French former tennis star of Cameroonian origin, currently a
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singer, filled us in on his role: “To help without being a burden. Mental preparation is both very important and quite vague. Obviously, I won’t be talking technique or tactics and the real work will be done by Artur Jorge. But within a squad during a sporting competition, things go on both on and off the field. I’ll be focusing very much on the latter.”
At a press conference after the Tuesday training session, the new coach underlined his ambition: to win the five remaining African Zone qualifying matches. To this end, Artur Jorge, famed for his sense of discipline, has opted to introduce a set of internal regulations. Consequently, outings will be strictly limited during their various away trips.
Geremi gives Jorge first victory
Right from his first meeting with the squad, Artur Jorge laid down the law on relatively small matters such as keeping to meal and training times. On the issue of banished or stay-away players such as Pierre Wome, Modeste Mbami and Lauren, he declared: “They’ve all been contacted, so it’s down to them, not me. Everyone has their reasons and I respect them. If they want to be part of the Cameroon team, they know where we are. We’ve told them that if they come, we will be stronger. Now, they will do what they have to do.”
Very rapidly, the Artur Jorge imprint is being stamped on the Cameroon set-up. Against Senegal, for example, he played Benoît Angbwa and Thimothée Atouba on the right and left sides of defence respectively, preferring them to first team regulars Jean-Joël Perrier Doumbe and Bill Tchato. For long periods, he was out of his technical area, urging on his player and coordinating substitutions. Despite being outplayed at times by a fine Senegal team, Cameroon came up trumps in the final twenty minutes, when good link-up play between Geremi and Emana allowed the Chelsea player to score the only goal of the game.
David Mayebi, one of the vice-presidents of the Cameroon FA, expressed his contentment after the match: “This result has encouraged everyone and boosted the players’ confidence. It means we can get ourselves back on track. Today proves we’ve made the right choice of coach.” All that remains now is for Cameroon to confirm this renaissance in their next qualifier against Sudan on 27th March in Yaounde.
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