Walter Wilson Nana, AfricaNews reporter in Buea, Cameroon
Coach of Cotonsport football club in Cameroon, Alain Ouombleon Guedou, has been relieved of his functions. The Wednesday, May 13 decision to fire Guedou has been confirmed by the club's Honorary President, Iya Muhammed, who doubles as the President of Cameroon Football Federation, (FECAFOOT).
He has been replaced by his assistant, Gabriel Haman, who has been at the Cotonsport’s technical bench for a little more than a decade.
Sources have it that Guedou has been shown the door open because he has failed to deliver the goods since the start of the 2008/2009 football season in Cameroon.
Recently, Cotonsport was booted out of the preliminary face of the 2009 African Champions League Competitions by Nigeria’s Heartland FC.
At the national level, the Garoua club was sent packing out of the race of the Cup of Cameroon by Panthere of Bagangte. In the Cameroon MTN Elite 1 League, Cotonsport is behind league leaders, Tiko United by six points. A performance some Cotonsport officials have described as dismal.
In the 2008 finals of the African Champions League, Cotonsport lost to Egyptian Al Ahly of Cairo in an aggregate 4-2.
Some insiders of Cotonsport attribute Guedou’s sacking to the indiscipline rocking the team. He is also alleged to have lost his authority over the players.
However, another problem with the team this season seems to be the mass exodus of players and, apparently, the Coach has not been able to strike good combinations between the new comers and old players.
Though Cotonsport was able to shine last season, they have not been able to consolidate their achievements. They let their good players like Daouda Kamilou, Ahmadou Ngomna, Baba Sumaila and others to leave. “If they had good contracts they would have stayed,” an uncomfortable fan noted.
Guedou is remembered to have played football in Nantes, France. He has exercised his coaching trade at Kadji Sports Academy in Douala, Cameroon, before joining Cotonsport.
Guedou’s replacement, Gabriel Haman, is a graduate of the 1992 batch of Cameroon’s National Institute of Youth and Sports, INJS, in Yaounde.
Having lost out in the 2009 African Champions League preliminary phase, Cotonsport joined the African Confederations Cup Competitions. In the first leg match, played, Saturday, May 16 at the Roumde Adjia Stadium in Garoua, Cotonsport smashed visiting AS Vita Club of Kinshasa, DRC, 4-1.
