Cameroon players united in their World Cup goal

WHILE a nation was entranced by turmoil in the Pacific, Cameroon footballers weren’t enjoying an restful week in the sun. Refusing to fly, delayed flights, some must have wondered would they reach Japan at all.

The dark shadow of football politics threatened to scupper Cameroon’s hopes before they even touched down in Tokyo. Players moaned about not getting bonuses, the team grounded themselves in Paris and the internal workings of an FA looked to be damaging the prospects of

Africa’s best team, some pundits reckon the finest team to come out of the continent.

All’s well that ends well. An unscheduled grounding in Bangkok later and Cameroon were prepared enough to play England off the park on Sunday. Not bad for a team who must have thought of ‘here we go again’ when their bonus money never appeared.

George Weah has said Africa would be the best footballing continent if there were organised structures to manage it. Cameroon is the ideal example. The country has produced many of Africa’s finest players, yet controversy trails it at every turn.

A few seasons ago Cameroon were on the brink of being banned from international football when FIFA found irregularities with ticket allocation, as some tickets bound for the Cameroonian FA were been sold by touts.

In such a climate, it is incredible Cameroon have achieved so much, an Olympic gold medal sandwiched into the past two African championships.

Marc-Vivien Foe has won enough caps, stretching back to USA 94, to know you never sail smoothly with Cameroon, or indeed, sometimes, never sail at all. But unlike the Irish story, which doesn’t want to die, the man Harry Redknapp once dubbed ‘his monster’ is certain this squad is more united because of their disrupting spell living in an airport.

“Once we started playing football against England, we forgot all about the long journey,” said the gigantic engine of Cameroon’s midfield.

“So, it took us a long time to get here, so what? Everything has been sorted out and now we just want to concentrate on playing the World Cup and showing the world what we are capable of.”

“Our supporters have been great They really have. And we want to repay them by playing well here in Japan.”

Cameroon supporters are one of the treats every four years, with the colour they bring to the occasion, and Lauren says their effect on the team shouldn’t be underestimated, even if the expense of Japan will diminish numbers.

Despite a draining Premiership season that finally saw the inventive Lauren become a fully-functional member of the Arsenal team, the winger says a World Cup has expelled all exhaustion.

“Maybe I was a bit tired at the end of the season, but it is okay now because I have had a few weeks rest and I am feeling ready to play in the World Cup.

“Winning the double with Arsenal was fantastic and it gave me confidence before the World Cup But now, all my mind is on, is Cameroon.”

That seems to be a constant theme running through this Cameroon side. Unity hasn’t been a defining characteristic in recent years. Although they were ultimately successful in Sydney, the months leading up to the Olympics were filled with dissension, as star players like Salomon Olembe turned down the opportunity to travel to Australia in favour of their club.

There’s no sense of that in Japan, the victory in Mali has galvanised this side and now they want to parade their immense ability on the biggest stage.

“We feel we can show the world we can beat anyone,” Foe remarked. “We are using this World Cup to show we are one of the best teams in the world.”

The heroics of Italia 90 have lingered in the mind of Cameroon like a millstone. In the two subsequent world cups, the national team came nowhere near repeating the feat, not even making it out of the first phase.”

As six of their first team, three of whom are with Premiership clubs, have experience of English football, there will be few strangers in Niigata. And their recent tryst with England has only limbered them up for a stressed Irish side.

“We got an idea from England what Ireland will be like,” Lauren says. “They are a good team, have some good footballers and work very hard for each other. But we don’t want to worry about Ireland, we want to think of ourselves. We are very organised on the pitch, play well for each other.”

We must conclude with Roy Keane, the poltergeistic figure hovering over our World Cup. Foe, during his eventful term at Upton Park, was one of many players who had a bit of afters with Roy Keane.

As far the controversial absence of the Irish skipper goes, Foe is putting on a rarely seen diplomatic face.

“It didn’t make any difference to us. We always thought ourselves capable of beating Ireland and now maybe more so. Because, of course, it is Roy Keane. He is one of the best players in the world, captain of Manchester. And he is the captain of Ireland, every team wants their captain to play in the World Cup. But, we have to be careful. The World Cup is about 11 players, not just one player.”

A fact that has been easily forgotten this week.