Will Enow Save Cameroon’s Football?

A presidential decree on May 25 finally set in motion the first-ever national football academy in Cameroon, devoting men of the world of sport to find solutions for Cameroon football.

One of the greatest appointments was that of Carl Enow Ngachu, coach of Cameroon’s national female football team, as the General Manger of the establishment.

The presidential decree also appointed former long-serving CAF President and Honorary President of FIFA, Issa Hayatou, chairman of the academy.

While many appreciate President Biya for fulfilling his promise and appointing Enow and his team to oversee the functioning of the institution, sport pundits around the country have diverse views as to whether the team would succeed in its mission.

Admitting that it is still too early to assess their work, sport analysts think that the road will be a rocky one for Enow.

The first challenge for Enow, according to experts, is the task of making his voice heard because he is surrounded by members who, by experience, would like to impose and make him act like a window dressing.

Enow’s other challenge will be to categorize players in the various selections of the national teams.

Even though stating in his first words after his appointment that he would make sure children admitted in the institution deliver what is expected from them, there is not much to go home with as far as recruitment is concerned.

At a time when football seems to be a shadow of itself in the country, analysts say Enow needs to embrace all and forget about the huge cats that will come knocking, handing envelops for their sons to be admitted in the academy.

While observers think Enow and his team should go to the hinterlands and work towards building back the image of football in Cameroon, they should also heed to the call that those who will not succeed in football should have another career as stated.

Expectations are high and all eyes are focused at the team that will oversee activities in the baby football institution.

Given the social ills that continue to rock football in Cameroon ranging from corruption, dishonesty and fraudulent documents, the team must work towards eradicating these ills and stop the influx of children and parents who will head the academy for different aims.

Anticipated to fight against nepotism and tribalism, many are of the opinion that politics should not be in the agenda of the team to handle the academy.

Besides these challenges, the main tasks of initiating and supervising young people in the practice of high-level football as well as the initial and continuing training of trainers in theoretical teaching should be their watchword.

Also, they should be able to elaborate the practice of discipline, the development of local expertise in the related trades, collection, conservation and dissemination of documentation as well as basic and applied research.

The Post Newspaper