The fears that Isa Bongam would not be able to manage PWD Bamenda is beginning to appear true. For the first time this season, PWD lost in their Bamenda backyard on Sunday as Sable urged them 1-0.
Isa Bongam successfully financed and managed the squad to return to division one this season. But it appears the man has reached his limits for his actions have caused the team to fall from top position to fourth.
In his usual erratic manner, Bongam threw out Justin Kamgue, the man who coached the team to division one and created history by winning all first six league games. PWD were in zenith.
Then when results were not coming, Bongam caused a group of regulars to refuse playing, though he says he has suspended them.
Rossi Nyebe, highest scorer of the team is one of such valuable players who is very angered with the style of Bongam. Nyebe has scored four of PWD’s ten goals in 14 games, but is now lying idle in Yaounde waiting for the storm to be over.
He told The Herald that more than ten regulars have been away from the club since they lost 0-2 to Union Douala in day 12, last 27 April.
“After that defeat, the president (Bongam) said we should move our base to Santa. Most Anglophone players refused to move to Santa. About 11 of us and the coach then moved to Santa. But three days later (30 April) we decided to return to Bamenda to collect our luggage.
“But when we met the president coming out from a bank in Bamenda he got very annoyed. He (Bongam) started shouting at us saying: “If you don’t want to play for PWD you can go away?” He even pushed and kicked me.
“With this humiliation we decided to stay home. After all, the club is even owing some of us. I have not had my signing in fee in spite of several promises from the president”.
However, Bongam has announced he suspended the players for indiscipline and that he still has a good squad to deliver the results.
The list of players staying away from PWD include skipper Jude Gadinga, Ferdinand Ngwa and Striker Martin Akeyuk. Without these pillars PWD are sure to slip further down the table.
Despite the big talk about his financial prowess, Bongam has not settled all the claims of the players. Worst even he was ill-advised to cancel the training session allowance that stood at 1500 FCFA per session.
In a previous interview to The Herald, Bongam disclosed that PWD had a budget of over 300 million FCFA. But from all indications, he is finding it difficult to raise that money which could lead PWD to win the title.
It is certainly time Bongam opened up the management of PWD to better qualified persons. If not he may leave the club where he met them. That is in division two.
By Martin Etonge in Yaounde
