Celebrations fall flat at Roger Milla’s 50th birthday party, as fans and expected football stars fail to turn up.
A maximum of 4,000 watched a gala game organised as part of the celebration, and most of those were enticed in for free.
Several former stars, including Diego Maradona and Pele, had been promised to attend.
But those who did go only got Basile Boli and Adoulaye Traoure.
That was not the only reason that kept the fans away.
The fans also complained about the high cost of the gate fee. The cheapest ticket cost £1, more than what fans pay for two domestic league games.
« This is just a gala match. The international stars who could attract us were absent. Why should tickets cost so much? », one fan said.
Further, some fans may have stayed away because of Milla’s sudden recent unpopularity following his support for Sepp Blatter over his countryman Issa Hayatou in the race to be Fifa president.
A few days before celebrations started, the programme ran into difficulty as the chairman of the organising committee, Christain Ngalle was fired.
He took the matter to court and discredited the whole programme.
Success
The problems notwithstanding, the two games were hitch-free.
In Douala, Milla had two great goals in a 4-0 win of his friends over former Indomitable Lions.
In Yaounde it was 4-1 with Milla scoring a goal against the side captained by Jean Manga Onguene.
The government and some companies supported the anniversary celebrations.
Fifa made an undisclosed financial contribution, while Sepp Blatter sent a congratulatory letter.
And despite the low attendance, the organisers and Milla said the event was a huge success.
