Pierre Kunde Malong on Saturday became the latest Bundesliga player to pay tribute to George Floyd when he took a knee after scoring the second goal in Mainz’s 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt.

As thousands assembled in Berlin and Munich to demonstrate against police brutality and for racial equality, Mainz midfielder Kunde Malong paid tribute to Floyd, a black American man who died in Minneapolis last month while being arrested by police officers.

The Cameroonian will face no sanction from the German Football Federation (DFB) for the gesture after it gave the green light on Wednesday to players who wanted to honour Floyd or support the Black Lives Matter protests which have raged across the USA.

Borussia Dortmund players also wore messages on their T-shirts during their pre-match warm-up ahead of their clash with Hertha Berlin later on Saturday.

Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi wore the messages “no justice, no peace”, while midfielders Axel Witsel and Emre Can’s T-shirts displayed the words “black”, “white” and “yellow” crossed out, with the word “human” below.

Sancho and Hakimi had avoided punishment by the DFB following their on-pitch calls for justice for Floyd last week, as German football’s governing body gave players the go-ahead to show their feelings regarding Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests.

Earlier, German champions Bayern Munich became the highest-profile club in the country to show their support the protests.

Prior to their 4-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen, players warmed up in T-shirts bearing both the Black Lives Matter hashtag and the slogan of the club’s official “Reds Against Racism” campaign.

“As players, we always have the same message: we are tolerant, we are open, we are open to the world,” Bayern captain Manuel Neuer told Sky after the game.

During the game, all Bayern players also wore black armbands bearing the words “Black Lives Matter”.

“FC Bayern stands for a world in which racism, discrimination, hate, injustice and violence have no place. The death of George Floyd and the images from the USA have shocked us all,” said club president Herbert Hainer in a statement.

“It’s a matter of actively and loudly showing our colours. Black Lives Matter and Reds Against Racism. We stand for togetherness that goes far beyond sports.”

Source: AFP

Former Cameroon coach Clarence Seedorf shared a video on Instagram in which he spoke about the ongoing unrest over the killing of George Floyd, asserting “violence solves nothing”.

The American died in the city of Minneapolis on May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes while he was apparently struggling to breathe.

Floyd died in hospital and the action of the police officer has drawn outrage all over the United States, with some of the protests turning violent which has been strongly condemned.

The football world has stood in solidarity for Floyd and has issued numerous calls for an end to racial injustice.

“Hi folks, I’m reflecting here, reflecting with you, reflecting about us, reflecting about the world,” Seedorf said in the video.

“Violence has never solved anything in the world, education has.

“I wish it would be more, I wish it would be really a movement of humanity to get things as they should be, not just better.

“But the passiveness of looking and seeing what is happening by the white people, that is not acceptable because then you become as guilty as those who started manipulating and killing for fun just because they thought they were superior.”

Seedorf joined a host of African stars like Didier Drogba, Jordan Ayew, Mikel John Obi, Franck Kessie, Michael Essien, Thomas Partey, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and many others who posted plain black squares on social media in what was tagged #BlackOutTuesday.

Borussia Dortmund and Morocco international Achraf Hakimi alongside his teammate Jadon Sancho wore a shirt with the inscription ‘Justice for George Floyd’ in their 6-1 thrashing of Paderborn on Sunday.

The Liverpool squad with African stars Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Joel Matip, all stood on their knees in solitary with Floyd.

Seedorf was the manager of Cameroon between August 2018 and July 2019.

He led the Indomitable Lions to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt but lost out 3-2 to fierce rivals Nigeria in the Round of 16.

Seedorf managed a total of 13 games with Cameroon, winning four, drawing five and losing four.

Source: Goal.com

The Ghanaian has placed the Cameroonian at the top of his list of outstanding footballers from the continent

Cameroon and Barcelona legend Samuel Eto’o Fils is the greatest man from Africa to have played the beautiful game, former Ghana and Bayern Munich star Samuel Osei Kuffour believes.

Eto’o is indeed a celebrated football icon globally, having won the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) on two occasions (2000 and 2002), a 2000 Olympic Games gold medal and the Champions League on three occasions.

Adjudged African Footballer of the Year four times, the former striker also has a 2010 Fifa Club World Cup title in his cabinet.

“It’s difficult to say [who is the greatest African Footballer of all-time] because it’s a different generation now,” Kuffour, himself a 2001 Champions League winner, a Fifa U17 World Cup champion and an Olympic bronze medallist, told Goal in an African Legends Series interview.

“When you look at my generation, people may say [Augustine] Jay-Jay Okocha [of Nigeria] was brilliant. When you go to another generation, people may say Eto’o was brilliant.

“For the generation ahead of me, people may say George Weah [of Liberia] was good, Kalusha [Bwalya of Zambia]] was good.

“When you go to the next one, they would say Rabah Madjer [of Algeria] was great. Some people may also say Mahmoud El Khatib from Egypt was good. [You also have] Lakhdar Belloumi [from Algeria]… different, different generations.

“But for me, if you tell me to choose one, I will choose [based on] consistency. I don’t hate anybody, but I have to be strong and firm and choose.

“He may not have won the world player of the year but for me, I think because of the consistency, I’ll give you Samuel Eto’o [as my best of all-time].”

At club level, Eto’o’s first major success was winning the Spanish Copa del Rey with Real Mallorca in 2002-03, having cut ties with Real Madrid who brought him from Cameroon as a youth team player. While with Real, he also had loan stints with Leganes and Espanyol.

Eto’o joined Barcelona in 2004 and would go on to win the Spanish league title on three occasions, the Copa del Rey in 2009, the Spanish Super Cup twice and the Champions League in 2005-06 and 2008-09.

In 2009, the 39-year-old transferred to Italian fold Inter Milan, with whom he won a quintuple of trophies (Serie A title, Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup, Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup) in 2010.

He has also played for English outfits Chelsea and Everton, Sampdoria in Italy, Turkish duo Antalyaspor and Konyaspor as well as Qatari side Qatar SC.

On an individual level, Eto’o, who stands as the all-time top scorer at Afcon with 18 goals, and also as the all-time top scorer for Cameroon and Real Mallorca, won the African Footballer of the Year awards in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010. He finished third in the race for the 2005 Fifa World Best Player award. These are only few of his many individual accolades.

Source: Goal.com

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger led the tributes to Cameroonian midfielder Joseph Bouasse Perfection who died from a heart attack aged 21 on Sunday.

Rudiger, who played at Serie A club Roma during Bouasse’s time there as a youth-team player, expressed his sorrow at the “horrible news”.

“I’m so sad about it. Rest in peace, my brother,” Rudiger tweeted.

“A young talent gone too soon from us. Condolences to the entire family.”

Roma also paid their respects.

“The club is desperately saddened to learn of the untimely death of former Primavera player, Joseph Bouasse Perfection.”

“The thoughts of everyone at #ASRoma are with all those closest to him,” Roma tweeted.

Cameroon’s football federation (Fecafoot) paid tribute to the midfielder, saying Cameroonian football had “lost a player of rising distinction.”

Bouasse also spent some time at Vicenza before moving to Romanian side Universitatea Cluj.

Source: BBC

Joseph Bouasse Perfection has died at the age of 21 after the former Roma midfielder suffered a heart attack on Sunday night.

While Perfection never went on to make a first team appearance for the Italian side, he was recruited by them following an impressive trial less than two years ago. 

Once news emerged that he had tragically died, Roma paid tribute to their former youth player. on Twitter.

 Roma wrote: ‘The club is desperately saddened to learn of the untimely death of former Primavera player, Joseph Bouasse Perfection.

‘The thoughts of everyone at #ASRoma are with all those closest to him.’

LaLiga side Sevilla added: ‘Heartbreaking news. Our thoughts are with Joseph’s family, friends, and everyone at AS Roma. Rest in peace, Joseph.’

Source: Peacefmonline

When Cameroon’s president demanded a soon-to-be 38-year-old striker’s inclusion in the World Cup squad it was seen as a new low for African football.

The game on the continent had long been dogged by the fatuous interventions of powerful politicians, but messing with selection for the sport’s global showpiece event seemed harebrained in the extreme.

President Paul Biya had watched Roger Milla, who celebrates his 68th birthday on May 20, play a charity game a few weeks before and insisted his inclusion in the squad for the 1990 finals in Italy.

Milla was days away from turning 38, earning retirement money playing on the French island of Reunion and long past his heyday, which included competing at the 1982 World Cup, playing in three Africa Cup of Nations finals and scoring more than 100 Ligue 1 goals for Bastia, St Etienne and Montpellier.

“I got a call from the president who said he thought I should play. I was in no position to argue,” Milla said.

Biya’s order turned out to be a fortuitous masterstroke, even though Milla himself was unsure whether he would cut it.

“I knew that if I got into shape I’d have a chance to make an impact,” he said. “When I returned to the national side I got a warm welcome from the younger players. But the older ones had ganged up against me and were not so happy to see me.”

Just weeks later, however, that had all changed as the veteran forward captured international imagination, no more so than when wiggling his hips in a provocative assault on the corner flag as he celebrated a goal in Cameroon’s unlikely march to the World Cup quarterfinals.

The dance is better remembered than the breakaway goal against Colombia as Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions went further at the tournament than any African team had been before, eventually losing to England in extra time in a tense quarterfinal.

“We just really wanted to have fun, but that we achieved new things for African football made it special,” Milla added.

In all, he scored four goals at Italia 90 and extended his record as the tournament’s oldest goalscorer when he netted one more at the World Cup in the US four years later.

By then Milla had become a symbol for a continent, with his exploits after emerging from semiretirement earning him the accolade as the best African footballer of the 20th century.

Source: Reuters

Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) has terminated its domestic championships over the novel coronavirus pandemic, effectively declaring PWD of Bamenda champions of Elite One league.

Fecafoot Tuesday announced that it was impossible to complete the 2019/20 football season due to Covid-19 virus which had infected 2,689 people as at Wednesday.

Cameroon national government suspended soccer and other sports-related activities in March, following the outbreak of the virus grinding the 18-team top tier league to a halt.

The top-tier league was preparing for Round 29 at the time and Fecafoot has now confirmed that the current standing will be considered final. PWD of Bamenda – who will represent Cameroon in the Caf Champions League – had 47 points by Round 28, one ahead of second-placed Coton Sports who will represent the country in the Confederations Cup.

The decision also crowned, Astres of Douala, Louves MINPROFF of Yaounde as champions of Elite Two league and the women’s championships respectively.

Source: Daily Nation

Cameroon has opted to end its football season amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the head of the country’s football association said on Tuesday.

Seidou Mbombo Njoya, president of Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) said, the decision was reached following recommendations from the health commission of the association stressing on the need to stay safe.

“Football is not the priority in the current situation (COVID-19). Football is secondary. Health safety comes first,” Njoya told reporters in the capital, Yaounde after the decision was taken.

PWD Bamenda were declared champions after leading Coton Sport by a single point, when the championship was suspended in March. The club will now compete in next season’s African Champions League.

The Cameroonian government halted all sporting activities in March following an outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

Source: Xinhuanet

The former coach of Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions Philippe Redon has died at the age of 69.

The information was made public by his boyhood club Stade Rennais were he was also a member of staff for the French outfit.

Philippe Redon took charge of Cameroon between 1991 and 1992. He drew goalless at home during his first game in charge against Mali on October 1990 and reignited the Lions winning spark during the return leg game securing his first win (2-0) in emphatic fashion.

The former French footballer guided the five time African champions to the semi final of the 1992 African Cup of Nations in Senegal.

Philippe Redon also coached Liberia in 2000. He has also had spells in club football with RC Lens and US Creteil.

Philippe Redon holds a pharmacy diploma and a DEPF (Professional Football Coaching Diploma), and has also worked as a FIFA instructor

Source: 2020 kick442.com