ACTUALITE |
22.03.2010
Indomitable Lions An Ambitious Generation
Fred VUBEM TOH
The squad is targeting the quarter final stage of the World Cup attained by their predecessors in 1990.
The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon are haunted by their own success. Every new player to the squad is conscious of the history of the team and strives to do better than those who bore the national colours before them. With a record 6th participation in the World Cup and four African Cup of Nations titles to their credit, Cameroon has moved from the underdogs of World football to one of the favourites. The high point of Cameroonian football remains the quarter final stage attained in the World Cup in 1990. Since then, the Indomitable Lions have been unable to attained this performance or surpass it. The only time they came close to this dream was in 2002 when the double nation’s cup winners, went to the World Cup in Korea-Japan not as underdogs as was the case in Italia’90 but as one of the favourites to lift the world trophy.
Since this glorious epoch of Cameroonian football, the country has been in quest of a «Dream Team” that can attain the semi finals of the World Cup or why not win the trophy. The organisation of the World Cup on African soil for the first time, its inception, gives African countries and Cameroon in particular as flag bearer of African football, to win the World Cup. The question now arises whether Cameroon has what it takes to win the world cup. That question can be answered in the affirmative given that Cameroonian play in the best league in the world and therefore rival with the best in world football. More so, Cameroon has proven to be a hub for football talents, from Roger Mila to Omam Biyick, Mboma Patrick and today Samuel Eto’o. After the ‘dream team’ at the dawn of the 21st century, a new team is now in the making in view of lifting the ultimate challenge of being the first African team to win the World Cup.
The symbol of the old generation that is changing and giving way to the new is the change of captainship from Rigobert Song to Samuel Eto’o. The remnants of the old generation who came to be fondly referred to as 1984 in allusion to the numbers on their jerseys, are virtually on their way out also with their non selection for the friendly against Italy. The encounter with Italy enabled Cameroonians to see the new breed of players on whom to count to make an honourable performance at the World. It was as such that new talents emerged as Joel Matip, Kouemaha, Sebastien Bassong and Assou Ekoto to add to other young players like Eyong Enoch, Manjeck, Nkoulou and Alexandre Song who have proven their mettle since joining the national team, especially during the just ended African Cup of Nations. All these new players knocking at the gates of the national team are eager to leave their mark in the squad as their predecessors did before them. As earlier mentioned, Cameroon is a hub of football talents and just needs the right combination, hard work and seriousness to obtain the desired results.
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