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Iya Mohammed : "The Future Lies in Youth Football" (06.02.2006)
Iya Mohammed, President of the Cameroon Football Federation draws lessons from Cameroon`s participation at the 2006 African Cup of Nations.
What appreciation can you make of the performance of the Indomitable Lions during last Saturday`s match against Côte d`Ivoire?
We are disappointed that we were not able to qualify despite the fact that the Lions had given a very good account of themselves. We played hard, we played well. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a question of penalties; a matter of chance. I think we were just unlucky. I hope it wouldn’t really discourage us. It`s not something disgraceful. We lost against a very good Ivorian team which qualified for the World Cup. It is one of the best in Africa. We should simply learn from our mistakes and try to train more on how to shoot penalties and prepare our boys psychologically because penalty shooting is more psychological than physical.
The Indomitable Lions had a perfect first round performance. What do you think actually went wrong with the Lions last Saturday?
There was nothing particularly wrong. It was a very difficult match although the game itself was not very spectacular. This is certainly because both teams wanted to avoid a defeat. Côte d`Ivoire had a very good team. Everybody was trying to avoid the Elephants and the Lions. Unfortunately, the teams had to meet at one time. Similarly, you should not forget that psychologically, you cannot be beating the same team everyday.There would always be a time when the team can get its vengeance. It was the case with Nigeria. We were beating them regularly. But one day they decided to give all they had to overcome us. The same thing has happened with Côte d`Ivoire.
Some people have been quick to blame the poor performance on some unruly attitudes in the Lion`s camp these last couple of days. Are you aware of this?
I have heard commentaries similar to the ones you have expressed. But as you know it is a game. When you win you are hero, and when you lose, you have all the blame. If we went through to the semis, nobody could have talked about this. According to the official report, discipline reigned in the Lion`s camp till the last moment. Everybody said all was fine; that there were no cases of indiscipline or ill health. But it came out that some players were not in very good shape. I have heard that Atouba had some problems; people told me that Webo was not very fine physically, etc. It`s easy to say it now when they lose. But if they won, nobody would have spoken about it. What is important for me is that we shouldn`t get discouraged. Life is like that.
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Andfootball is just a game. It shouldn`t really change things because we were unlucky not to score the 12th penalty. It could happen to any good team.
Some people think this is a logical continuation of the long saga of Cameroon`s football woes that began in 2004 and continued with the non qualification of the team for the world Cup.
We are unlucky. God isn`t with us again. But what can we do? As I said earlier, one day things would change. But I think it would be a mistake for us to say the trainers aren`t doing a good job, that the players are bad, etc. No, the players are good. The team has even been rejuvenated. There are a few young players such as Atouba. Eto`s is still young, etc. I think there isn`t any cause for alarm to the extent that we should entirely put things aside and start afresh. As far as I am concerned, continuation is a quality. We cannot build by starting afresh every day. There is a minimum of time to build and you shouldn`t be changing a team or coaches every six months because they haven`t won a trophy.
So what conclusion can you make of Cameroon`s participation in the 2006 African Cup of Nations?
We need to be more determined. We have to speak as a team and be sincere between ourselves; that is the Ministry and the federation. Government is doing a lot for football. But a lot more needs to be done for youth and feminine football. The 60 millions which the federation puts in cannot develop youth football. We need 20 times that amount. Unfortunately, most of the money which government puts into football is used for the senior Lions. My wish is that the money should be properly used. Besides the amount which is meant for the players themselves, all the money that is spent on administrative matters and missions should drastically reduce and the remaining used to develop youth football and the Olympic squad. How do you expect to develop football if the youths are not encouraged, if the championships are not played? It is the future of the national team that is at stake. People criticize FECAFOOT without knowing the reality. What can we do with the little we have?
Can we therefore say that Cameroon`s football needs a general refoundation
My feeling is that everybody is just relying on FECAFOOT. Nobody wants to blame any other party. And we know that FECAFOOT doesn`t have the means to develop everything. It is just an accompanying party. The future lies in youth football and apparently everybody wants the result but not much is done to groom the youth to assure that there is continuity and that the future generation is good enough to take over.
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