I didn’t say it unfortunately, those where the words of Patrick MBoma yesterday on RMC’c After Foot show. Patrick Mboma should know, he was one of Cameroon’s stars at the end of 1990s and beginning of 2000, participating in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000 and 2002 as well as getting the gold medal in the 2000 Olympics. This post is the first of a series where I will be reviewing the 32 teams that have qualified for the World Cup.
My first memory of Cameroon goes back to their 1982 World Cup where they were unfairly eliminated in the first-round with a valid goal against Italy which was ruled off-side. That referee decision has quite an impact on the competition since Italy then went off to win their 3rd World Cup! By the way, that was also the only time that I recall a team, Italy of course, who else could it have been, qualifying to the 2nd round after having tied 3 games in the first one! Roger Milla was already Cameroon’s star attacker back then.
Roger Milla, then aged 38, was also part of the Cameroon team in the 1990 World Cup which beat Argentina in the opening game and then lost in extra-time in an epic quarter final against England. That team played one of the best footballs I have ever seen and had they had just an ounce more experience, they could have gone much further. For the anecdote, Milla then also participated at age 42 in the less successful Cameroon campaign in the US 1994 World Cup.
The current squad is probably the best balanced of all African teams, and although I still put the Ivory Coast as my favourite to win the Africa Cup of Nations, I put my bets on Cameroon going the furthest of all African teams in the next World Cup. After a slow start in their qualifying group which saw the exit of coach Pfister, replaced by Paul Le Guen, Cameroon finished first of their group ahead of Gabon, Togo and Morocco. Le Guen decided to replace legendary Rigobert Song as the captain by the no less talented Samuel Eto’o. Eto’o embraced his new role and his influence on the team seems to be very strong. The spinal chord of the team (by that I mean the all important central line that goes from the goalkeeper, to the middle defense players, the centrefield and centre-forward) is strong with Kameni, André Bikey and Nicolas Nkoulou, Achille Emana and Samuel Eto’o. Emana is capable of incredible games but can also sometimes completely miss out.
What sets Cameroun apart from all other African teams as Patrick Mboma said is the great belief the players have in their technical and physical capacities. It’s as if they start a game a goal ahead so strong is their self-confidence. Doesn’t that remind you of so many Mannschaft teams 
? They never seem to loose faith and that is a huge plus factor when facing other African teams who can disintegrate in a matter of minutes (see Angola – Mali game yesterday).
Cameroun are in Group E of the World Cup with the Netherlands, Denmark, and Japan. I see Cameroon finishing second behind the Netherlands.
So how do you think the Lions Indomptables (the nickname of the team) will do in this year’s Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup?
Maracanazos like lions.
Here is a video of that legendary quarter final against England in the 1990 World Cup.
[...] treating the ACN as some kind of pre-World Cup test drive, Cameroon’s coach is not using the in-house confidence which is one of the main characteristics of the Lions Indomptables. The end result is that the team [...]
[...] is the second national team I am reviewing after Cameroon in my series about the 32 countries participating in the World Cup in South Africa. Japan is in [...]
[...] about the 32 countries participating in the next World Cup in South Africa. I already covered Cameroon and Japan which are in the same group as [...]
[...] having covered Group E (Cameroon, Japan, Denmark, and the Netherlands), it is now time to see what’s up in Group B which is [...]