8, September 2024

AFCON 2025 Qualifiers: Indomitable Lions, Super Eagles win after chaotic build-ups ⁰

Former champion Nigeria and Cameroon put chaotic build-ups behind them on Saturday to make winning starts in 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying.

Ademola Lookman, the lone African nominee for the 2024 Ballon d’Or men’s award, scored twice and reigning African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen once as Nigeria beat Benin 3-0 in Uyo.

Veteran Vincent Aboubakar, leading scorer at the 2022 AFCON with eight goals, netted in the second half to earn Cameroon a 1-0 victory over Namibia in Garoua.

In the other qualifier on the final day of matchday one action, Mauritania edged Botswana 1-0 in Group C thanks to a late Sidi Amar goal in Nouakchott.

After agreeing to coach Nigeria, German Bruno Labbadia did a last-minute u-turn when the national football federation declined to pay the tax on his undisclosed monthly salary.

Augustine Eguavoen was named caretaker coach of a team still smarting from a stunning mid-year 2026 World Cup qualifying loss to Benin, which lies 52 places lower on the world rankings.

The interim boss watched anxiously as the Super Eagles did not translate territorial supremacy into goals until first-half added time, when Lookman struck.

Osimhen, who join Galatasaray on loan this week after a hoped-for move to either Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain or Saudi side Al Ahly did not materialise, came off the bench to net on 78 minutes.

As huge gaps appeared in the defence of demoralised Benin, Lookman struck again with seven minutes of regular time remaining to take Nigeria top of Group D, two points above Rwanda.

Rows over the match venue and which players would represent Cameroon overshadowed preparations for the Group J fixture against Namibia.

Initially set for Douala, the fixture was moved to Yaounde by the sports ministry, then Garoua by the national football federation, which former Barcelona star Samuel Eto’o heads.

Cameroon Prime Minister Joseph Ngute intervened and ordered the game to be played in the northwestern city of Garoua, but the drama did not end there.

Four-time African Footballer of the Year Eto’o threatened to field the national under-20 team against Namibia instead of the senior side as a power struggle with the ministry continued.

The federation then had to wait until the morning of the match before receiving the passports of the senior players in order to create an official team sheet.

Victory lifted Cameroon to the top of the table, two points above Zimbabwe and Kenya, who drew 0-0 on Friday.

Source: Sportsstar

8, September 2024

Bate Nico and Daughters of Manyu Ireland: A special relationship ⁰

Although Bate Nico is the celebrated Professor of Manyu music and is now a global star, he has maintained a close relationship with the Irish State.

His sell-out concert in Ireland is fondly remembered by hundreds of Cameroonians who answered present at the height of his powers as the Manyu megastar.

But while there have been infrequent visits back to Europe for concerts, it was his less advertised time in Dublin with the Daughters of Manyu Ireland that drew massive attention.

Bate Nico fever gripped Ireland, after the singer recently visited Balbriggan, Drogheda and Swords near Dublin.

He participated in the September meeting of the Daughters of Manyu Ireland and refused to record an interview with the Cameroon Concord News Group.

Bate Nico however said Manyu Daughters of Ireland have inspired him to make a great album.

According to Cameroon Concord News London Bureau Chief Asu Isong, Bate Nico is very interested in Manyu unity and plans to tour Europe and the US on a peace mission.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

7, September 2024

Cameroon Football: Why is Minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi very desperate? ⁰

For a long time now, Cameroonians have been watching a very unsettling movie wherein the key actors are the country’s sports minister Narcisse Mouelle Kombi; the Indomitable Lions coach Marc Brys and the President of the football federation (FECAFOOT), Samuel Eto’o.

The movie has gone round the globe and many people are very unhappy with what is happening to Cameroon’s football. Many people around the world see Cameroon as a great footballing nation but this image seems to belong to the past.

The fighting has reduced Cameroon’s image abroad and many think that the country’s days as a football giant in Africa now belong to the past. But that past was characterized by corruption at the football federation.

Since taking charge of football affairs, the global icon, Samuel Eto’o has been shutting down all the loopholes which have helped many involved in Cameroon’s football management to become illicitly rich.

This decision has hurt many, especially the sports and physical education minister, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, who holds that this is the time for him to feather his nest.

He has woven a team comprising journalists, influencers, former players who were enjoying benefits they did not deserve and other enemies of the FECAFOOT president for them to fight and send Samuel Eto’o out of the federation. Samuel Eto’o is bad news to Mouelle Kombi and his cronies.

Initially, Mouelle Kombi thought it was going to be an easy battle. He did not know that he had a tough cookie in front of him. As the fighting continues so do Mouelle Kombi and his friends in crime get deeper into desperation and poverty.

Mouelle Kombi has children abroad and many are studying in expensive universities and this bruising conflict with Samuel Eto’o, a man with a huge war chest, is destroying the Biya acolyte both financially and psychologically, especially as the calls for school fees are incessant and threatening.

It is not just the business of school fees that is keeping the 62-year-old Mouelle Kombi awake. A massive multi-apartment structure he has been erecting in Yaoundé has come to a screeching halt. Money from FECAFOOT has vanished with the arrival of Samuel Eto’o who does not admire corruption in any way, shape or form.

Professor Mouelle Kombi’s phone is permanently off the hook as his numerous girlfriends, many of whom are living in Europe and Canada, keep on calling to report that their rents are due. Mouelle Kombi is in trouble right up to his eyeballs.

Minister Kombi knows that without money, those girlfriends of his will be gone. Money is to women what honey is to bees. Mouelle Kombi does not want to lose them, but with Eto’o at the helm in FECAFOOT, it is clear that Mouelle Kombi will be financially emasculated. The fighting is costing him his reputation, health and peace of mind.

A source close to the learned professor who is also a practicing lawyer but who has also morphed into a practicing liar says that Mouelle Kombi is losing his mind.

Before boarding the flight to Garoua where the match against the Brave Warriors of Namibia has to be played, the learned professor could be heard screaming over the phone after a call came through. It was a lady in Paris who was mounting pressure on Mouelle Kombi for him to send money.

Her rents were due and from every indication, Mouelle Kombi is cash-strapped. Despite his attempts to explain to the lady that things would be fine, the lady kept on pressurizing him, cautioning that she could be homeless in the coming weeks if Mouelle Kombi did not send money. Mouelle Kombi is in trouble and he knows with an enemy like Eto’o, the future will only continue to be bleak.

The source added that the professor who was considered to be taciturn is today talking but unfortunately to himself. Eto’o’s poison has hit the minister where it hurts the most. To douse his pain, the professor now drinks and it was surprising that last week he lost control of himself and started asking Marc Brys for a cigarette.

The source furthered that some people are advising the minister to negotiate with Eto’o. The minister does not want to swallow his pride but if he does not change his mind, he will be pushed to the edge of a financial precipice.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

5, September 2024

Indomitable Lions: Eto’o 1, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi 0 ⁰

An impasse in Cameroon’s national men’s football team has been overcome following mediation efforts by the country’s Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, state media Crtv said on Wednesday.

The Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will host Namibia on Saturday in its opener of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier but their training camp has been marred by a wrangle between Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) and the country’s Ministry of Sports and Physical Education over the venue of the training camp and stadium where the match will take place.

“FECAFOOT wants the match to be played in the town of Garoua while the ministry wants the match to be played in the capital Yaounde. The players were divided and confused. Instead of training, they are attending crisis meetings,” said football analyst, Jean Claude Wakam.

Ngute met with the players and government officials on Wednesday and stated that the match “will be played wherever CAF (Confederation of African Football) decides and where the stadium is and in good shape”, Crtv reported.

The CPDM team has now agreed to play the game in Garoua after the mediation efforts.

Crisis erupted in Cameroon football since April after the country’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Narcisse Mouelle Kombi announced the appointment of 61-year-old Marc Brys as head coach. FECAFOOT said it did not agree with the appointment because it “was not involved in the procedure leading to the appointment”.

Both bodies have since tussled over who is in charge of the Indomitable Lions.

Cameroon will play Namibia on Saturday and face Zimbabwe three days later in Kampala.

The country is placed in Group J of the qualifiers, along with Namibia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.

The 35th edition of AFCON will take place in Morocco next year.

Source: Xinhuanet

5, September 2024

Cameroon’s next president is also in China ⁰

The issue of who will succeed Biya is always on many Cameroonian lips but the answer is slowly emerging.

While Cameroonians are focused on alcohol and football, the ruling elite is gradually grooming Franck Biya for him to take over once his father quits.

Franck Biya has never held any official government position, but has been making slow inroads into the political arena.

He is sometimes sent on secret missions where he serves as the president’s emissary.

Recently, he has been taking the lead on many ruling party activities and this is designed to gradually introduce him to the public.

Though many ruling party members clap for the inexperienced Franck Biya in public, behind the scenes, there is a lot of grumbling.

Contacted by the Cameroon Concord News Group’s editor-in-chief, a ruling party stalwart could not hide his disappointment and frustration of what he has been noticing.

“We all know what Biya and his men are selling, but not many of us are buying it. Cameroon is not a monarchy and there will be a lot of infighting once Biya dies. There is no part of our constitution which allows for Franck Biya to become the next president,” our source which elected anonymity said.

“Cameroonians must show their teeth. Biya and his men are taking the population for granted. I am a ruling party official, but I disagree with so many things which are happening in our country,” our source said.

“I know there will be bloodshed when Biya dies. Many of our party members cannot accept Franck Biya as the country’s next president. He knows very little about management and administration and being a president’s son is no criterion for being the country’s president,” he added.

While Paul Biya is discussing with Chinese government officials on how the Asian giant can help Cameroon, Frank Biya, for his part, is seeking business deals from established Chinese businesspeople.

Many doubt if he will be able to get any as Chinese businesspeople know that there are serious governance issues in Cameroon and that the country’s legal framework leaves much to be desired.

By Alain Agbor Ebot

5, September 2024

CPDM Minister of Football lands in Garoua ⁰

Cameroon’s Minister of Football, Professor Narcisse Mouelle Kombi, has landed in Garoua in Cameroon’s northern region where the country’s national team, the Indomitable Lions is expected to clash with the Brave Warriors of Namibia.

Mr. Mouelle Kombi, who is supposed to be the country’s Sports and Physical Education Minister, but has opted to focus on football, was on the same flight with the players and their coach. He has to be by the team to keep on manipulating the players. But his intrigues are known and the players are sick and tired of his stupidity.

Prof. Mouelle Kombi and Coach Marc Brys had vowed that they would not go to Garoua for the match, but they have been obliged by circumstances to eat their own words. It is FECAFOOT that manages football in Cameroon and not the ministry of sports.

The minister who has sown chaos in all other federations wants to take control of FECAFOOT because of the money in football. His plan will not work as he has met someone who knows his rights and wants to clean up FECAFOOT. Cameroonians are smart enough to see through Mouelle Kombi’s charade.

Kombi, whose presence in Garoua is not necessary, is there because he wants to ensure that the technical team he appointed gets access to the stadium. But his team will not sit at the coaching stand because the names of the members of that team are not on the match forms.

Kombi is already staring down the barrel of defeat. He will soon be kicked out of government and he will be remembered for the chaos he has sown in the ministry of sports.

Supposedly a practicing lawyer, Mouelle Kombi has, over the years morphed into a practicing liar just because he wants to feather his nest.

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

5, September 2024

Beijing: Biya and Xi announce elevation of bilateral ties ⁰

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with President Paul Biya, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).

The two leaders announced the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Biya’s attendance at all previous editions of the summit demonstrated the great importance he attached to China-Africa friendship and cooperation, as well as his profound amity with China, Xi said.

China is ready to work with Cameroon to foster a more substantive and significant partnership and advance the bilateral ties to a higher level, Xi said.

He noted that China has always supported Cameroon in safeguarding national unity and ethnic solidarity, fighting terrorism, as well as achieving peace and development. ■

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Cameroonian President Paul Biya, who is in Beijing for the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 4, 2024. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

Source: Xinhuanet

5, September 2024

Ballon d’Or: Messi and Ronaldo left out, Spain dominates as nominee list revealed ⁰

For the first time since 2003, neither Argentina’s Lionel Messi nor Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo feature as nominees for the Ballon d’Or, while Olympic champions Spain and Champions League winners Real Madrid headline the list of players vying for football’s most prestigious individual award.

Lionel Messi will not win another Ballon d’Or this year after being left out of the nominees revealed by organisers on Wednesday, as stars of Spain’s Euro 2024-winning team and Real Madrid’s Champions League victors feature heavily.

Messi claimed the eighth Ballon d’Or of his glittering career last year. Now aged 37, he is not among the 30 contenders this time despite winning another title with Argentina at the Copa America in July.

The former Barcelona superstar, now playing club football in MLS for Inter Miami, was also missing from the nominees in 2022 when Karim Benzema took the honours.

However, he returned to win last year after leading Argentina to glory at the World Cup in Qatar.

The most prestigious individual award in football is voted for by a jury of journalists from each of the top 100 countries in FIFA’s world ranking.

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior is among the favourites and is one of six members of the Madrid team that won La Liga and the Champions League last season to be nominated.

Jude Bellingham, Dani Carvajal, Toni Kroos, Antonio Ruediger and Fede Valverde are the others, while Kylian Mbappe — who left Paris Saint-Germain for Real over the close season — features too.

Carvajal is among the contenders from the victorious Spain team alongside Alejandro Grimaldo, Dani Olmo, Rodri, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal.

Manchester City’s Norwegian star Erling Haaland and England and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane are on the list as well, but there is no place for five-time winner Cristiano Ronaldo, now 39.

Xabi Alonso, who won the Bundesliga in an unbeaten season with Bayer Leverkusen, is among the favourites for best coach.

His rivals include Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti and Spain’s Luis de la Fuente.

Meanwhile, Aitana Bonmati of Barcelona and Spain will hope to retain the women’s Ballon d’Or.

Former winners Ada Hegerberg and Alexia Putellas are also nominated, along with five members of the United States’ Olympic gold medal-winning team in Sophia Smith, Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman, Lindsey Horan and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher.

The Ballon d’Or ceremony is due to take place in Paris on October 28.

Source: AFP

5, September 2024

US Politics: John McCain’s son endorses Kamala Harris ⁰

Jimmy McCain, son of the late Republican Senator John McCain, is endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris following controversy around Donald Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

He called Trump’s visit last week to the military burial site “a violation”.

The Army has accused a Trump staffer of pushing aside an Arlington employee as they tried to warn his team about rules against filming in the cemetery.

The Trump campaign says it received permission from families of fallen service members to film video during an event to honour US soldiers killed during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

“Show respect and leave. It doesn’t need to be videoed,” Mr McCain told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday.

He added: “The point of Arlington Cemetery is to go and show respect for the men and women who have given their lives to this country. When you make it political, you take away the respect of the people who are there.”

Mr McCain, who was previously an independent, said he has changed his voter registration to Democrat and plans to vote for Ms Harris for president in November.

“I feel that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz embody a group of people that will help make this country better. That will take us forward. That’s really what matters at the end of the day,” he said.

The youngest McCain son enlisted in the Marine Corps and has served as an intelligence officer since 2022.

Three generations of McCain family are buried at Arlington.

Federal law prevents use of the site for political campaigning.

The Trump campaign has disputed the cemetery’s version of events and released a statement from the Gold Star military families that invited him to the site, saying the former president was there to honour the sacrifice of their relatives who were killed.

Trump – who is running for president for a third time – and late Senator McCain had a long rivalry.

The Vietnam war hero was one of the most outspoken Republican critics of Trump from the very start of his first candidacy.

Trump once attacked McCain, himself a former Republican presidential candidate, saying he was “not a war hero” because he was captured and held as a prisoner of war.

In 2020, McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, endorsed Joe Biden in his campaign to unseat Trump. Mr Biden later appointed her as US ambassador to a United Nations food agency.

Jimmy McCain is not the only family member to withhold support for Trump.

His sister Meghan said on Monday she does not plan to support either Trump or Ms Harris.

“I greatly respect the wide variety of political opinions of all of my family members and love them all very much,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“I however, remain a proud member of the Republican Party and hope for brighter days ahead.”

Source: BBC

5, September 2024

Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei dies days after being set alight by ex-boyfriend ⁰

Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei has died days after being doused in petrol and set on fire by a former boyfriend.

The 33-year-old Ugandan marathon runner, who competed in the recent Paris Olympics, had suffered extensive burns after Sunday’s attack.

The authorities in north-west Kenya, where Cheptegei lived and trained, said she was targeted after returning home from church with her two daughters.

Her father, Joseph Cheptegei, said that he had lost a “very supportive” daughter. Fellow Ugandan athlete James Kirwa told the BBC about her generosity and how she had helped out other runners financially.

A report filed by a local administrator alleged the athlete and her ex-partner had been wrangling over a piece of land. Police say an investigation is under way.

Cheptegei, from a region just across the border in Uganda, is said to have bought a plot in Trans Nzoia county and built a house to be near Kenya’s elite athletics training centres.

Attacks on women have become a major concern in Kenya. In 2022 at least 34% of women said they had experienced physical violence, according to a national survey.

“This tragedy is a stark reminder of the urgent need to combat gender-based violence, which has increasingly affected even elite sports,” Kenya’s Sports Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said.

Source: BBC