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Continental Football: Why Cameroon Clubs Perform Poorly (07.03.2006)
Teams in continental competitions often find it difficult to travel and play well.
Four Cameroonian clubs are involved in continental competitions organised by the Confederation of African Football. Cotonsport of Garoua and Aigle of Dschang are representing the country in the Champions League, while Impôt FC of Yaounde and Astres of Douala are in the 3rd edition of the Confederation Cup. After the first and second leg matches of the preliminary round of both competitions, two clubs have moved on to the 16th finals, one has been eliminated, while the fate of one is to be decided today.
In the Champions league, Cotonsport has qualified for the next round. The cotton weavers of the North last Saturday beat Rennaisance FC of Chad, 1 — 0 to pick their ticket for the next round. In the away match in Chad on 19th February, Renaissance FC and Cotonsport of Garoua ended on a one all tie. Aigle of Dschang, on the other hand, is out. The Eagles of the Menoua failed to fly high in Ghana last Sunday. They succumbed to Kumasi Asante Kotoko 0 — 3, after a one all tie in the away match in Cameroon on the 19th of February.
In the Confederation Cup, Astres of Douala shines on after victories in the home and away matches against TP USCA Bangui. In first leg in Central Africa, Astres outplayed TP USCA Bangui 3 — 1, while in the return match, Astres again beat TP USCA 2 — 0. The stars of Doaula will face Atlético Petróleos of Luanda, Angola, in the 1/16th finals. Cameroon’s second representative in the Confederation Cup, Impôt FC, would know their future in the competition today when they take on Akonangui of Equatorial Guinea at the Yaounde Omnisport stadium. The tax collectors need a victory if they must move on to face Lobi stars of Nigeria in the 16th finals. Both teams separated on a virgin tie during the away match on February 18th in Equatorial Guinea.
The preparation and participation of most clubs in this first phase of the competition has been characterised by improvisation
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and marred by a series of financial difficulties. In the away leg, for example, Astres was not certain of travelling to Central Africa. Similarly, it was at the last minute that Impôt took off to Equatorial Guinea. For the return matches, Aigle almost failed to travel to Ghana. Only Cotonsport, which to a greater extent relied on its own finances, was spared from the financial wrangling during the first phase.
The question many people are asking is, why the improvisation for a competition that is known at least three months in advance? Who is actually expected to foot the bills? The official text which states that cubs engaged in continental competitions have the status of a national team and can benefit from government assistance, has been interpreted in several ways. Roles have to be clearly defined to enable clubs that would continue in continental competitions prepare well and travel in complete serenity. Nothing good can come out of improvisation. This certainly explains why Cameroon has failed to make an impact on the continental club scene in over two decades.
Financially, there is a lot at stake in the two continental competitions. In the Champions League, for example, some 3.5 million US dollars (about CFA 1,750 million) will be shared among the first four teams and their national associations. The winner will bag home 950,000 dollars (522,500,000) and the national association 50,000 US dollars (about 27,500,000). In the confederation cup, the money will be shared among eight teams and the national federation of the winners and runners up. The winner will get 300,000 US dollars (about CFA 165,000,000) and the runners up 200, 000 US dollars (about CFA 110,000,000).
Besides these huge sums of money which the clubs and FECAFOOT might eventually pocket if they move up to the final, it is the image of the entire nation that is at stake when a Cameroonian club performs poorly on the continental scene or is stocked at the airport because air tickets cannot be bought on time.
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