The third and final round of qualification for the next World Cup sees 20 teams divided into five groups of four. Group winners go through to Russia. Everyone else stays home. It is an unforgiving set-up, and Cameroon has started by paying a heavy price for having sunk to 59th in the FIFA World Rankings used to seed qualified teams for the draw.

The Indomitable Lions have recorded a one all draw with Algeria- the best team in Africa says Cameroon head coach Hugo Broos. Nigeria collected the three points from Zambia with goals from Nigeria’s Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho … Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi. The qualifying stage will run until November 2017.

By Chi Prudence Asong

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon have left France en route to Algeria after spending almost a week in the town of Mallemort preparing for a crucial encounter for this Sunday the 9^th of October, 2016. Head coach, Hugo Broos will have to pick his dream team after he watched them played a 1-1 all draw on October the 5th at the Commanderie training ground against Olympique of Marseille.

The Indomitable Lions made a very emotional farewell ceremony yesterday Thursday in Mallemort with praises showered on the population of the small town via their mayor, Helen Gente. Mayor Gente observed in a very soul-searching speech that France won the 1998 FIFA World Cup due to the preparations they had in the small town of Mallemort. The mayor noted that Cameroon should do the same by winning next Sunday’s match against Algeria.

The town has reportedly signed an agreement with the Cameroon Football Federation and Tombi a Roko Sidiki, the president of FECAFOOT was quoted as saying that it was the beginning of a collaboration that will grow in the years to come. For his part, the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Bidoung Mpkatt, gave an open invitation to the mayor to visit Cameroon and live with the peculiarities of the Cameroonian hospitality.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from CIN

Medical sources at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris have revealed that everything went well with our Rigo. The former Cameroon international was evacuated on Tuesday to France and we understand the three aneurysms, including haemorrhagic were successfully repaired and Captain Rigobert Song still remains under observation.

Hospitalized in Yaoundé, after suffering from a stroke, Rigobert Song left his homeland for the French capital Paris.  Public Health Minister, Andre Mama Fouda, attempted to politicize Song’s health situation by claiming that President Biya was directly responsible for all that happened at the Emergency Centre in Yaounde.

Before taking the air ambulance, “Rigo” was able to breathe without using oxygen assistance and cerebral bleeding was controlled. Cameroon does not have adequate technical facilities for this type of care so only those close to the corrupt regime in Yaounde are accorded a kind of government support to facilitate treatment in a European country.

By Chi Prudence Asong

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon were on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at the Commanderie, the training camp of Olympique Marseille held to a draw by the French Ligue 1 club. Cameroon Info.net reported that the match fell short of national and international standard. Lassana Diarra was the man of the match who signed his return after two months of absence.

The Cameroonians have moved to a camp in Mallemort, a town about sixty kilometers from Marseille and the Indomitable Lions are expected to leave for Algeria on Friday, October 7, 2016 to clash with the Desert Warriors on Sunday, October 9- the first match of the final round of qualifying for the world Cup Russia 2018.

By Chi Prudence Asong with files from CIN

The former captain of the Indomitable Lions will be evacuated in the coming hours to a hospital in France. Rigo, as he is often referred to was a victim of a cerebral vascular accident last Saturday at his home and was admitted at the Yaounde Emergency Centre.

We now understand from government media sources that a multidisciplinary team and emergency resuscitators headed by Dr. Louis Georges Bitan, the Director of the Yaounde Emergency Centre, were mobilized around the patient.

Rigobert Song was transferred to the intensive care unit and resuscitation was successful. State owned radio and television recently announced that artificial respiration has been disconnected and our Rigo breathed again spontaneously.

Song suffered from a cerebral subarachnoid haemorrhage by aneurysm rupture, a form of stroke that often kills 50% of patients and 20% come away with significant neurological damage. Rigobert Song will be evacuated in the coming hours.

By Sama Ernest with files from CIN

Indomitable Lionesses were beaten 3-2 yesterday by the Canucks of Canada. The Canadians opened the score sheet through Huitema in the 3rd minute. Cameroon equalized in the 17th minute with a free kick from Djoubi.

The Lionesses followed with a second goal at the 42^nd minute of the encounter through Dabda. The Canadians were awarded a penalty in the 75th minute rightly taken by Stratigakis.

Taylor scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute. Final score, 3-2 in favour of Canada.

By Chi Prudence Asong

Russia has unveiled three candidates to become the official mascot for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. An image of a tiger, a wolf, and a cat, were projected onto the Moscow State University. The presentation was part of the annual Circle of Light International Festival.

An online vote was launched, so Russian football fans could decide on their favorite character. The winning character will be announced live on television on October 21st. The 2018 World Cup will be held from June 14th to July 15th at 12 stadiums in different Russian cities.

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FIFA through the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has unveiled the identity of the arbitrator for the highly anticipated duel between two African football giants, Cameroon and Algeria.

The first leg that will be staged in Algiers will be handled by the South African, Daniel Bennett. The 40 year old, Daniel Bennett is an international referee since 2002.

By Rita Akana

The Paralympic Games will begin this Wednesday in the city of Rio and the competition will see only one Cameroonian taking part. Unlike the Olympics when Cameroon was represented by 24 athletes in four disciplines, the Paralympic Games scheduled to end on the 18^th of September will have Christian Gobe based in Switzerland since 2000 fighting for Cameroon.

Broken by polio and confined to a wheelchair since the age of 4 years, Christian was a gold medalist at the All Africa Games (shot put).  He was also a silver medalist at the Grand Athletics CPI in Dubai in 2014. He has never been supported by the CPDM regime in Cameroon on lame and ridiculous reason that there are no financial means for disabled athletes.

Interestingly, a man whose name we got as Jean Jacques Ndoudoumou, the so-called President of the Cameroon National Paralympic Committee, left Cameroon on Monday at the head of a delegation of six members to encourage our Christian Gobe.

By Rita Akana

Swiss federal prosecutors say they have opened criminal proceedings against Germany football great Franz Beckenbauer as a part of corruption probe.

Attorney General of Switzerland announced that Beckenbauer with three other members of the 2006 World Cup organizing committee, Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach are under investigation over allegations of corruption in the awarding of the 2006 World Cup to Germany.

The 70-year-old and former Bayern Munich captain has denied wrongdoing.

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