Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its “32 teams in 32 days” series, sportsnet.ca will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up to the draw on Dec. 6.
It’s been a while since the Indomitable Lions were perched atop the African football pedestal looking down on the heard of continental competitors. True to their nickname, Cameroon was king of Africa. The glory days of Roger Milla and Italia ’90 success are a distant memory, and have since proven to be an anomaly. The quarter-final defeat to England was the last time Cameroon made it past the group stage in six appearances at the World Cup, the most by any African nation. The elevation of standards on the continental front has seen Cameroon’s stock plummet, as Ivory Coast and Ghana have become the heavyweights of the region—even lowly Cape Verde are 12 places above Cameroon (#51) in the latest FIFA rankings. Expectations should be kept in check.
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How they got here: Luck and a little bit of witchcraft, which is prevalent on the continent. Actually, the latter cannot be realistically proven, but it does provide a more dramatic conclusion than the truth. A shock defeat in Libya provided quite a scare on match-day two of the second round of qualifying, with the game-winner scored in the final moments of injury time. However, Cameroon bounced back by beating Togo at their national stadium (2-1) in Yaounde. The return fixture was where the controversy begins, and the truth becomes clear. Despite losing 2-0—which could have effectively derailed Cameroon’s World Cup campaign—FIFA awarded them a 3-0 victory after confirming that Togo fielded an ineligible player. The decision turned out to be extremely significant, paving the way to a two-legged playoff victory (4-1 on aggregate) over Tunisia.
Key result: Considering their incredible good fortune, Cameroon still headed into the final day of the group stage needing to earn a result against the Libyans—who needed maximum points to leap frog their host and finish top of the group. The reverse would have been true had the loss to Togo stood. However, as luck would have it, Cameroon only had to avoid defeat. Galatasaray defender Aurelien Chedjou notched the match-winner late in the second half, sending the 35,000 in attendance at Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo into a joyous frenzy.
Star player: Political infighting between Samuel Eto’o and the nation’s football leadership has cast a dark shadow over his illustrious international career. The last two years have brought with it an eight month ban for his role in refusing to compete in a friendly against Algeria at the beginning of 2011. What came next was another act of defiance, criticizing his federation’s lack of professionalism. To give you a better idea of the striker’s importance to the national set-up, the country’s prime minister intervened as a mediator to smooth out the situation. Any success continues to hinge on Eto’o’s presence on the pitch, and at 33 years of age when the tournament kicks off, Cameroon’s most capped player (155) and top-scorer (55) will see this as his final shot at glory in the green, red and yellow strip.
Player on the bubble: Born in Paris, and a graduate of France’s national academy at Clairefontaine, Sebastian Bassong is on a mission to regain his place after missing out on the African Cup of Nations. Given his consistent form with Norwich City, you would think playing in the “best league in the world” would surely merit a call-up. Cameroon could definitely use the help, despite conceding only four goals in their qualifying matches. They have a long history of heavy defeats at the World Cup, and Bassong deserves a spot on the final roster. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he will make his second consecutive appearance on the world stage.
Team strengths: One thing is certain, Cameroon have never lacked the ability to score goals. They just put too much emphasis on one end, and neglect the other. Attack, attack, attack—the moniker of every generation. The current crop fall under the same trend, with Eto’o leading the ranks, and others have risen by following the example. Mainz striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting might be the next flag bearer at the heart of the Indomitable Lions attack. He’s scored five in the Bundesliga this season, having missed the majority of the previous campaign through injury, after scoring 10 in 2011. Down the middle, Alex Song is a great asset, despite used sparingly by Barcelona. The former Arsenal midfielder is a quality player, and has gained a wealth of knowledge playing with the best in world football.
Team weaknesses: The biggest issue facing Cameroon is the disharmony among the leadership and its players. A united front is the first step, and let the chips fall into place. They’ve always had the ability to produce dramatics, albeit in victory and defeat. Everything begins from within. As a collective, Cameroon are of decent quality, and capable of causing the rare upset. However, it’s been 24 years since they’ve put together consecutive performances at the World Cup, and are inching closer to a significant turnover of talent.
World Cup record:
1930 to 1978—Did not enter
1982—First round
1986—Did not qualify
1990—Quarter-finals
1994 to 2002—First round
2006—Did not qualify
2010—First round
Team profiles: Algeria | Argentina | Australia | Belgium | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Cameroon | Chile | Costa Rica | Colombia | Croatia | Ecuador | England| Germany | Ghana | Greece | Honduras | Iran | Italy | Ivory Coast | Japan | Mexico | The Netherlands | Nigeria | Portugal | Russia | South Korea | Spain | Switzerland | United States | Uruguay