ACTUALITE |
25.06.2003
Clash of Football Cultures Tomorrow
Emmanuel TATAW
Phase two of the Confederations tournament rumbles off tomorrow in Lyon and Paris. The African flagbearer, the Indomitable Lions, take on Colombia at the Lyon Gerland stadium. The team left Lyon yesterday for Saint Etienne and are expected back tomorrow a few hours to the event. After a frontline performance in the first phase, the Lions are now hot favourites. No one is taking the team lightly and the lethal arsenal of challengers is henceforth trained on the roaring Lions. Crossing the path of the Lions tomorrow are the South Americans from Colombia. After the exit of the Brazilian megastars, Colombia is the only hope of the Latin Americans. There will be no place to hide at Gerland stadium tomorrow, no bunkers to scurry for cover under the hail of punishing artillery barrages. As the stakes get higher, the odds multiply.
Within the Indomitable Lions Camp, serenity reigns supreme. The squad of Rigobert Song Bahanag remains conscious of the demands of these trying moments. The Lion is said to be awake jolted out of a post World Cup 2002 slumber. The isolated calamities of some Lions in their different club sides shortly after Japan/Korea 2002 has reminded the boys of the consequences of a lacklustre performance in an international competition. When a team picks goals and glory the repercussions are discernible in the quality of individual appreciation in particular clubs. The possibilities of new and huge contracts are wider. Cameroon versus Colombia tomorrow will be a classical duel between two continental flagships. It will be a clash of football cultures, the crisp individualism of Latin America and the physical block of the African continent. The two cultures share the flair of natural endowments polished by European influence that is pegged on techniques and tactics. It will be a veritable carnival with an uncertain outcome. Earlier encounters between the two countries give the Lions an edge but history in its twists and turns is not static in sports. The battle tomorrow has to be won within the rectangle of Gerland stadium and within the statutory timing of an umpire with obvious human whims. The two contestants have their eyes set on the trophy but the first bridge remains the semis. Crossing it requires enormous resolve and determination. Headcoach Winfred Schafer and his technical crew remain upbeat. The main squad was kept out of the Monday encounter against the USA, giving them enough time to recover from the two earlier engaging hurdles with Brazil and Turkey. The team appears confident and highly motivated. Said Song Bahanag: "We are ready for Colombia".
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