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FIFA’s Disproportionate Sanction Against Cameroon
Six points will be deducted from the Indomitable Lions in the 2006 World Cup and African Nations Cup joint qualifiers that is yet to begin.
The disciplinary Committee of the world football governing body, FIFA, has fined Cameroon Football Association, FECAFOOT, CFA 85 million and deducted six points from the Indomitable Lions in the 2006 World Cup and Nations Cup qualifiers that are yet to begin. The sanction was inflicted on Cameroon last Friday during a meeting of the FIFA discipline committee at FIFA headquarters in Zurich. The world football governing body said the decision came as a result of Cameroon’s failure to comply with the equipment requirement of article 4 of the law of the Game during the African Cup of Nations 2004 in Tunisia. The apple of discord is Cameroon’s one-piece attire. FIFA President, Sepp Blatter said it was not in conformity with the rules of the Game which say each player must wear a shirt, a short and socks. FECAFOOT officials however claimed that hither to the use of the controversial outfit at the Nations Cup, they were made to believe the one-piece kit was alright. An official of Puma, the kit manufacturers, said that his organization had obtained clearance from FIFA deputy secretary General, Jerome Champagne, before the kit was manufactured. Cameroon was therefore allowed to use the kit in the group round after FECAFOOT gave assurances that the Lions would wear authorized playing kit in the knock out phase.
Despite this agreement, Cameroon subsequently wore the same equipment in the quarter final encounter against Nigeria. FECAFOOT President, Iya Mohammed, explained to FIFA that it was impossible to change the kit because two months were needed to get a new kit. Horstt Widmann, executive assistant to Puma chairman Jochen Zeitz, in a press declaration in Tunisia, said the team was left with no other option but to put on the one piece outfit in the second round. "We are unable to provide new kit for Cameroon for a period of 60 days, so if FIFA fines the Cameroon Federation, we will take the responsibility", Widmann said. On February 13, 2004, however, the disciplinary committee of FIFA opened an inquiry to rule on the infringement of the laws of the Game and the association’s failure to fulfill the pledge it made to FIFA. The outcome is the sanction of last Friday.
News of the decision was received with a lot of shock and frustration in Cameroon. To many, the penalty is too high; exaggerated to an extend. Nobody had imagined the price of the Lions putting on the controversial outfit. Many are those who are looking back in anger at why a country would decide to make its national football team the "guinea pig" of a sports wear manufacturer. Yet most people argue that it is abnormal that Cameroon should be punished as the match commissioner of the game against Nigeria did not report any problem with the kit. "Before each game, there is a disciplinary committee which checks all equipment to verify if players are wearing standard outfit. If any team is not in the right attire, they are told to change. What happened during the Cameroon/Nigeria match?", Justin Barthson, a sports observer in Yaounde questions.
Government has already taken the bull by the horns. It has decided to appeal against the sanctions. The Minister of Youth and Sports, Bidoung Mkpatt, yesterday created a commission to put together Cameroon’s appeal file. The commission is made up of officials of the administrative unit of national team, those of Cameroon football federation and jurists. The team led by Tadjore Ndjock Maurice, Technical adviser N° 1 at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, will elaborate strategies for the reversal of the decision.
But if FIFA sticks to its sanctions, then Cameroon would have to bare the consequences. Financially, there would be no real problem as the sports wear manufacturer, Puma, had accepted responsibility for penalties which FIFA may impose on FECAFOOT for using the banned outfit at the Cup of Nations. Where the shoe pinches is the removal of six points from Cameroon in the 2006 World Cup and African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Without six points, it will be difficult, but not impossible for Cameroon to make it to the World Cup and the Nations Cup. The Indomitable Lions, paired in Group 3 alongside Egypt, Ivory Coast, Libya, Sudan and Benin, would therefore have to win all their matches to qualify for these two great football jamborees.
FIFA LAW 4 – The Players’ Equipment
Safety
A player must not use equipment or wear
anything which is dangerous to himself or
another player (including any kind of
jewellery).
Basic Equipment
The basic compulsory equipment of a player
is:
> a jersey or shirt
> shorts – if thermal undershorts are worn,
they are of the same main colour as the shorts
> stockings
> shinguards
> footwear
Shinguards
> are covered entirely by the stockings
> are made of a suitable material (rubber,
plastic, or similar substances)
> provide a reasonable degree of protection
Goalkeepers
> each goalkeeper
wears colours which
distinguish him from
the other players, the
referee and the
assistant referees
Infringements/Sanctions
For any infringement of this Law:
> play need not be stopped
> the player at fault is instructed by the referee
to leave the field of play to correct his equipment
> the player leaves the field of play when the
ball next ceases to be in play, unless he has
already corrected his equipment
> any player required to leave the field of play
to correct his equipment does not re-enter
without the referee’s permission
> the referee checks that the player’s equipment
is correct before allowing him to re-enter the
field of play
> the player is only allowed to re-enter the field
of play when the ball is out of play
A player who has been required to leave the
field of play because of an infringement of
this Law and who enters (or re-enters) the
field of play without the referee’s permission
is cautioned and shown the yellow card.
Restart of Play
If play is stopped by the referee to administer
a caution:
> the match is restarted by an indirect free kick
taken by a player of the opposing side, from the
place where the ball was located when the
referee stopped the match * (see page 3)
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