By Walter Wilson Nana
Some Indomitable Lions players in Benguela, Angola, have fomented trouble in the Lions den ahead of the Cameroon-Egypt crucial duel today. These ‘trouble makers’ are not in tandem with Lions’ captain, Samuel Fils Eto’o for what they claim he is siding and giving in to all the instructions from coach Paul Marie Le Guen.
An insider from the den revealed to www.africanews.com that, the tension may jeopardize the Lions game against Egypt.
Information gathered around the camp, states that, some players are so bitter with skipper Eto’o for failing to intervene in certain decisions taking by Indomitable Lions head coach, Le Guen.
Others claim that, when Rigobert Song Bahanag was captain, he will not encourage the‘risk’ taken by Le Guen to put some so called renowned players on the bench during the Cameroon/Tunisia encounter.
This disagreement is coming at a time when the Lions and the Pharaohs of Egypt will later today engage in a football showpiece, to see who the African Soccer King is in the Angola 2010 African Cup of Nations third quarter finals encounter.
At this level of the competition, there are only two options; you win and you proceed to the semis or you lose and pack bags and baggage back home.
Many have described the duel as the final ahead of the final.
Football history books have it that Cameroon have succumbed to the Pharaohs five times out of the nine times they have played, with Cameroon recording three victories and a draw.
Statistics from the first round matches of the AFCON 2010 indicate that, Egypt won all its matches, scored seven goals and conceded one. While Cameroon scored five goals and conceded five.
Confusion Over Quarter Finals Classification
Three teams in Group D (Zambia, Cameroon & Gabon) at the end of the first round were found at parity with four points each. Information from CAF later indicated that all the results obtained from the matches against Tunisia were not considered. The calculations were therefore based on the matches of the three teams with Zambia topping the group followed by Cameroon and thus Gabon was eliminated.
But before the CAF rules were applied there was confusion in the air. At the end of the match, the TV screens in the media centre had the classification as follows, Cameroon topping the list followed by Zambia and Gabon. At that time it was evident that Cameroon was going to remain in Lubango and to meet with Nigeria. An argument started amongst journalists from all over the world in the media centre on the positioning. The Journalist from Associated Press argued that Cameroon was out and he soon discovered that he had missed the point. Then Nigerian Journalist cried foul “Ojoro” how can Cameroon top Group D? Is it because CAF President, Issa Hayatou is from Cameroon? Another said “this Cameroon again, it is better to meet a different team not Cameroon at this stage”. The fears of Nigeria are justified because it is an open secret that any match between Nigeria and Cameroon, is palpitating. Following the CAF rule Cameroon was second and takes on Egypt in Benguela some 350 km from Lubango. Since Nigerian journalist learnt that, they will not play against Cameroon, they have been jubilating.