ACTUALITE |
28.04.2003
Most football clubs depend on gate takings for survival - Sama George, match commissioner
Sama George, a sports lover and match commissioner believes that if government, parastatals and companies support football clubs, sports and especially football would flourish more. He expresses worry that the little gate takings clubs depend on and the general lack of funds are what bring down football clubs. He opened up on these and much more to Kwi A. Bangsi
You are match commissioner for the South West second division league, a sport lover and reporter. What is your view on the management of football clubs in the country?
I think the management of football clubs in Cameroon is plagued by a lot of difficulties. I have been involved in football activities for over twenty two years and what I think is that most clubs strive all along in problems.
In 1979 I was the financial secretary of PWD Bamenda supporters’ branch club in Douala and in 1996 I was also voted secretary general of the caretaker committee of Electsport Limbe.
From the experience gathered in these clubs and what I see everyday I can say that most clubs are faced with problems of lack of finance and other international problems which do arise from poor management, differences amongst club managers and coaches, players and so on.
How do you explain the problem of finance?
You will agree with me that most clubs fail because of lack of financial means. I will be very categorical to say here that our government is doing very little or nothing to help clubs financially.
Clubs are managed by individuals in most cases and with the economic crisis it is not easy for such clubs to survive. You find most clubs depend on gate takings and many Cameroonians today don’t go to the field to pay gate fee.
The situation is so bad that you find a football team receiving 25000 frs as gate taking at the end of a match. Imagine a team or club spending say 200.000frs to prepare for a match and then receives 25000 frs after that match.
It is a degrading situation and it accounts for most difficulties clubs face. The money is not enough even to feed players for two days. With such situations prevailing club managers are bound to keep running up and down looking for money and you find them committing themselves in huge debts.
Teams are also faced with transportation difficulties and most of our roads are bad. You find clubs signing general forfeiture because they lacked the means to travel for a match.
I think FECAFOOT bureau should have buses and aircraft which could be hired to clubs at cheap rates.
What about problems from within the clubs as you mentioned?
The international problems exist for the most part due to mismanagement. It is also due to differences because sometimes coaches do certain things without consulting the managers. Such decisions have led to the sacking of some coaches from some clubs even in the heart of the football season thereby throwing such clubs into difficulties of management.
I think there should always be sound understanding between players and the general coordination of the clubs because if this is not well done the team cannot do well. Football, it should be understood is first played in the office before going to the field. If the team management fails to do this well in the office they cannot do well on a pitch.
What about the problem of payment of players?
Of course it is a source of some of the troubles and difficulties that bury football clubs. You often find players not doing fine just because they don’t have good pay.
Some players don’t play well because they feel they are discriminated against when they see other colleagues earning more than what they receive. So I think clubs should try to bridge the payment gaps between their players and also provide equal care.
What can you propose as solutions to these problems?
I think the state or government and state corporations and other large companies should financially support clubs where they are based.
Take for instance if in a city like Limbe where we have big corporations like SONARA, CDC, AES-SONEL, SNEC; Cameroon Tea Estates among others, football clubs were supported financially by these we should have been having about four or more well established and managed division one clubs even capable of playing at international level.
But we find that clubs here are in the hands of individuals such as Victoria United and Mount Cameroon FC. I honestly think that companies and government should give support; more support - material and financial to football clubs.
For example when PWD Bamenda was at interpools the minister of Public Works supported them financially and they did well. If this kind of support is generally encouraged at all times I believe the clubs will do better.
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