Yaounde – Cameroonians were in shock Wednesday over the re-election of FIFA President Joseph Blatter, at the expense of their compatriot and CAF President Issa Hayatou, during FIFA’s 53rd Congress in Seoul, South Korea.
Emotions ran high at the central Yaounde market in particular, where groups of street vendors were seen listening to their radio sets and discussing the defeat of Hayatou, who polled 56 votes against Blatter’s 139 in the balloting by 195 FIFA national associations.
A feeling of frustration and incomprehension ran through the comments by the Cameroonians, who could not accept the fact that Blatter won despite accusations of corruption and mismanagement against him by his subordinates.
Bridget Fombaso, who was at the US Embassy in Yaounde to obtain a visa, could not hold back her tears, describing Blatter’s re-election as a « scandal ».
« Re-electing a man overwhelmed with so many scandals is difficult to explain. Africans should learn from the lesson of this ordeal and understand that they have only themselves to count on, » she stressed.
An insurance Company official, Jean-Emmanuel Ngwe, also spoke of « diplomatic hypocrisy. »
« Where are all the votes promised by the West to Hayatou? Where are the sports ethics that FIFA talks about so much? We now understand that these people (West) are capable of smiling at you while stabbing you at the back, » he added.
Taxi driver Dieudonne Fogaing said: « Issa Hayatou is a victim of a Mafia ».
« Things might even be worse in the days ahead, with five African representatives in the Korea-Japan World Cup. It is clear that their performance, regardless of its quality, will be judged on the basis of criteria that do not always relate to sports, » he warned.
Another commentator, B. Jeanne said: « Europeans are too racist to let an African lead FIFA. With everything Blatter is accused of, it is possible for a white to win, but not a black ».
Financial Times Information Ltd – Asia Africa Intelligence Wire
