ACTUALITE |
24.05.2002
Cameroon`s World Cup squad arrives in Japan after bizarre journey
FUKUOKA
Cameroon`s World Cup squad finally landed in Japan late Thursday after a bizarre four-day delay caused by an alleged dispute over bonus payments and the absence of flyover permits over Southeast Asia.
A chartered Boeing 757, carrying the Olympic and African champions, touched down at Fukuoka, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, at 11:40 pmafter a flight from Bangkok.
A few hundred Japanese fans greeted the 37-strong delegation as they boarded a bus for the three-hour journey to their base camp in Nakatsue, a logging village of 1,400 people.
The Indomitable Lions visited Copenhagen on Friday last week to play against the Danish national team before heading to Paris the following day.
The squad was supposed to leave for Japan on Saturday, but the chartered plane was stranded for 48 hours in France due to what Nakatsue officials initially said was mechanical trouble.
But a member of the Cameroon Football Federation later told AFP that the reason for the delay was discontent by the players at the non-payment of their individual World Cup bonus of 45,734 euros (42,000 dollars).
The plane finally took off from Paris on Tuesday and arrived in Bangkok at 9.00 am (0200 GMT) for an unexpected refueling stop after prolonged stopovers in Ethiopia and India.
But by that time, the plane`s pilot realised he did not have permission from Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines to fly over their airspace, an official at Bangkok International Airport said earlier.
The plane spent seven hours in the Thai capital before it was granted special flyover permission by the three countries.
The squad had been originally scheduled to arrive on Sunday at their training camp in Nakatsue, on the outskirts of a smouldering volcano.
The village has spent some 100 million yen (780,000 dollars) to improve lodging and football facilities for camp training, a gambit to attract tourists and investors.
Because of the delay, Nakatsue villagers had to cancel several events, including a welcome ceremony and a practice match with local high school students.
And the Cameroon squad are expected to spend only one full day in the village which has drawn unexpected attention due to the team`s delay.
Cameroon were scheduled to play Japan`s second-division club Saga Tosu in nearby Tosu on Friday and move to the port of Kobe on Saturday for an international against England on Sunday.
After a full day in Nakatsue on Monday, they will move to the central city of Fujiyoshida at the foot of Mount Fuji.
They will launch their bid for Africa`s first World Cup trophy on June 1 when they face Ireland in group E which also includes Germany and Saudi Arabia.
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